


The Spandex Chronicles

by OnionBooks



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Jicheol, Like literally the slowest burn, M/M, Mentions of Death, Mentions of Pedophilia, Multi, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Superhero Choi Seungcheol, Superpowers, Think of this like a gay superman movie with the roles reversed- and then give it an R rating, Violence, Warnings May Change, cause its not sad for the sake of sad-it's necessary for the plot, cause who knows where this is going lmao, characters who are mentioned but haven't yet appeared- I already have plans for them in the story, its gonna be a process, like-imagine im in a fireproof room, nearly everyone is a BAMF, other characters will appear later in the story, plot heavy, sitting in a corner tryna light a brick with a match, some content may be triggering, theres sad bits but idk if i would call it angst, villain Lee Jihoon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-03-21 00:41:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 38,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13729470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnionBooks/pseuds/OnionBooks
Summary: Here in the bustling city of Seoul, lived Choi Seungcheol. A superhero known for his big thighs, but bigger heart, with the ability to throw away bad guys just as easily as he stole hearts. To them, he was known as Sergeant Coups. His greatest nemesis among the rest, was a humanoid robot called 'The Vulcan Thief.' He was a heartless, thieving bastard, who always knew the right words to rub him the wrong way. The city knew him as a robotic angel of death and destruction, a monster... The people knew knew him, simply called him Jihoon.





	1. Origin Story

Chapter 1: Origin Story

Warning: This chapter contains graphic violence

Any civilian a mile away would be able to hear his approach. Heavy metal crashed along the cement as he launched himself forward, soaring through the air faster than human eyes could track. The ceiling of the building he had directed his leap in, caved in when his foot made contact, concrete and inner workings crumbling around him with a cloud of dust. The crowd parted, jumping away from the falling boulders of insulation. The smog cleared to reveal everyone turned towards him, frozen in fear.

He relished in their expressions. All around him were rich snobs; CEO’s, the daughters of CEO’s, the gold-diggers, and the boot-lickers. The offspring of corporate greed, partying without care. Their fancy horderves on silver plates, and crystalline glasses they had once sipped without care, fell to the tiled floor in pieces.

His voice box buzzed. “Sorry to-” He took a glance up at the ceiling, an ugly, blatant hole was left where he had entered. “-crash the party, but I’m going to have to ask that you all get on your knees with your hands up.”

A man stepped forward with a red face, anger prevalent. He recognized this man as the owner of the building, and the Chief executive officer of Silver Plutus banking, Mr. Kim Yung-min. “Vulcan Thief, you bastard… I just had that ceiling redone! You won’t get away with this, I’m calling the authorities!”

He fumbled with his phone, but before a single number on the dial could be pressed, the stupid device had been shot out of his hand, melting into magma against a wall.

Mr. Kim clutched his hand where a red-hot laser had grazed his skin, yelping in pain. When he looked up, Vulcan was standing tall before him, a gun pressed against his nose without a shred of emotion in his mechanical face model.

“I said, get on your fucking knees. I won’t ask you again.” The voice came warbled and manipulated to sound inhuman. He cocked the gun, watching a trickle of nervous sweat slide down his brow. Slowly, the once proud man lowered to his knees.

From further away, a woman had fainted, but the rest of the room complied with the request, raising their hands high in the air for him to see.

It was a beautiful sight to behold, these proud snobs begging for their lives, dirtying their expensive clothes by kneeling in fallen caviar. An absolute treat to the eyes.

Using his pupils to select the option in his peripheral screen display, he took a quick picture, capturing the moment.

“What do you want…” The man was trembling, as anyone would be with a heat ray set to 212° Fahrenheit pressed against their skull.

He scanned the room, his vision selected the items with the highest value and relayed a red target on each one, an estimated price-point popping up beside. This man sure did have a lot of rare collectables; surely, he wouldn’t care if a few went missing.

“You.” He pointed to a young boy, probably a teenager, wearing a waiter’s uniform.

“M-me?” The Vulcan nodded his head in confirmation, gesturing for the boy to come closer.

He stood slowly, knee’s shaking visibly. Once he was close enough, the cavity in the Vulcans chest plate opened, and a large box emerged.

An extra pair of arms unfolded from within, passing the box to the boy. “Collect everything of value and put it in that. For every item that you break, Mr. Kim will lose something.” He twitched the gun slightly to the left. “We’ll start with his ear.”

A wet spot appeared on the man’s groin, and soon a puddle had trickled out, flooding at his feet. Well, that’s fucking disgusting.

“What, uh, sh-should I take? Vulcan-sir.”

He pointed quickly. He was running out of time, so this would have to be a brief scavenge. “That vase with the dragons, that Choe Buk painting, the set of silver-ware back there.” The boy got to work, careful but quick. His trigger finger itched, and the look on mister Kim’s face sort of made him wish he’d break something.

When the boy returned, he set the box down before him, and backed away as quickly as he’d approached. Vulcan scanned the crowd with an interested hum.

“Take off all jewelry, watches, or valuables. Wedding rings, earrings, all of it. Bring them to the front.” He pushed the box forward with a gentle, metal foot. “And put them in the box.”

Sobs sounded throughout the room, but nobody complained. They knew well that he wasn’t joking around. One wrong move, and somebody was going to die, or in the least, Mr. Kim’s ear was.

One by one they emptied their valuables into the box. He got halfway through the crowd, before _he_ showed up.

Crashing through a window with his hands planted proudly against his hips, was Sergeant-fucking-Coups. Mr. goodie-goodie superhero, and The Vulcans most annoyingly consistent nemesis. “You called?” He grinned, all pearly whites and heroic charm.

“Who the _fuck_ invited Captain underpants to the party?” He waved the gun around, threatening. The crowd ducked in fear, nobody daring to confess.

“That’s Sergeant Coups to you, Vulcan. Now drop the box! Before I drop my foot on your face.”

A pair of smaller, metal arms, swooped out of his chest cavity, pulling the box inside. The cavity locked tight, and Vulcan let out a sinister, electronic chuckle, pressing the gun to Mr. Kim’s receding hairline. “Why don’t you make me?”

The hero smirked, hushing the curdling collage of screams that came with the threat. “Fear not, citizens. I’m here to bring this hunk of metal to justice, once and for all.” There was a visible change in the tone of the room, relaxed under the promise of their favorite Goody two-shoes.

He didn’t attack though, all talk and no action. He knew well that if he made a move now, Mr. Kim was going to lose the skin off his face. He was fast, but the trigger on this gun was faster.

He let out a distorted scoff. “Oh, please. You’ve said the same thing the last twenty times. I’m not in jail yet, am I, Deputy G-string?” The vein in the hero’s forehead twitched, his annoyance growing.

“ **Sergeant**. **Coups**. You should show some respect for the person who’s about to beat you into a pile of dust, criminal scum.”

“Sorry, I have no respect for someone who wears spandex panties to work.” He eyed the man’s superhero uniform, reminiscent of a military Chippendale dancer. Sergeant Coups was all thick thighs, good hair, and dumb muscle strength. He was the worst kind of superhero to deal with, and somehow, the one Vulcan found himself facing most often.

He coughed, legs spread open proudly into his ‘heroic pose’ as he hovered in the air, despite being obviously embarrassed. How did he ever muster up the courage to fight criminals in those tight-tights and booty shorts? Sure, it let the ladies swoon over his tight ass muscles, and it was good for the media, but it must be uncomfortable.

Now wasn’t the time to debate the decency of his clothing, though. The Vulcan’s eyes scanned the room for his best escape route. Sergeant booty couldn’t do anything right now, not with the nozzle of his gun pressed against the head of one of his precious ‘citizens.’

The moment he made a move to escape, though, this guy was going to be on his tail hotter than a 212-degree, flesh melting laser beam. He needed to think this through carefully.

“Why don’t you drop Mr. Kim and face me, you thieving coward?” Coups brought his fists up into a readied position, displaying a smug smile for the world to see.

He chuckled, voice box glitching wickedly. That’s exactly what he wanted, huh? To provoke him into a fight, and beat him into a pulp in front of everyone. He wasn’t stupid, though. Far from it.

The camera on the top of his head scanned the area, while his face display stayed directed at Coups, creating a false sense of focus on the naïve hero.

He crouched slightly, as if preparing to launch himself into battle. Sergeant Coups smirked, anticipating the fight of a lifetime. As always, this man was too trusting. When had he ever followed through on one of his dumb requests?

In the blink of an eye, The Vulcan had launched himself into the air, out the same hole in which he came.

“He’s getting away!” A woman screamed, pointing towards the roof.

Shaking himself out of brief surprise, Sergeant Coups zipped through the opening, flying after him at a godly speed.

The Vulcan was fast, but he knew that Sergeant Coups would be hot on his ass soon enough, and judging by the sea of news’s camera’s and witnesses, finding a place to hide before that happened was going to be tricky.

The camera on his back searched frantically for the incoming hero, while the one on his front scanned the area for an escape. He was stupid, for not keeping track his side fields, so he couldn’t really be angry when a fist drove into his left face-plate, faster than he could react.

The Vulcan was knocked off course, shot through the air like a meteorite. All emergency features switched on upon impact, preparing to minimize the damage to come. He was momentarily dazed, glass shattering around him, but he had no time to feel sorry for himself. Planting a foot against a pillar of the building he’d fallen against, he aimed himself at his target, leaving a ripple of metal and steel as he barraged himself off.

They clashed fists mid-air, separated, and connected again. Sergeant Coups was frustratingly unfazed, that camera-ready smile unwavering. Physically, it wasn’t an even battle. This guy was strong, ridiculously so, and he knew it. The Vulcan matched up to him for now, but it was only a matter of time before his outer-protective layer would lose its vitality.

Luckily, when it came to wits, He had a clear advantage. The trick to getting out of this sticky situation was to outsmart Mr. Boxer-shorts brawn.

The fight continued on, and everyone watched. Helicopters, news vans, and cell-phone wielding bystanders captured every angle of the conflict. More specifically, they recorded a sad, brutal beating of the Vulcan’s metal shell.

To them it looked to be a clear win, but every single move was plotted out carefully. When Coup’s shot a fist, he’d leave the unimportant aspects of his suit to be sacrificed. A useless extra arm, a third retractable leg, anything he didn’t need fell to the streets below with each fatal blow.

He only needed to faze him, long enough that he could get away, and fast enough that Sergeant Coup’s wouldn’t be able to follow him.

His holy grail came when he spotted a nearby construction site, teetering at the peak of a high-rise building. Below were innocent civilians, and surely _their_ lives came at a higher priority than his unprecedented arrest.

His final retractable arm emerged beneath a central sheath, below Coup’s vision. Taking him by surprise, Vulcan wrapped a heavy steel claw around his ankle, whipping the hero against a far building with a heavy crack of the spindling limb. He would recover quickly, so utilizing that small window of time in which the Sergeant was stunned, he made a dash towards the construction.

A few good slashes against the pillars would do. The building trembled, and now all he could do was pray that this would work in time.

“You fucking sneak!” The hero threw a heavy arm into his chest, knocking him in the opposite direction, against an apartment down the street. He was on him again faster than he could blink, eyes blazing with anger.

With Vulcan caught between a rock and a firm bicep, his noble grin returned, watching as various metal plates crumbled away from the villain’s body.

“You’re finished, Vulcan Thief. Why don’t you give up before I pull the rest of you apart?”

His scanner kept zoomed in on the slash he had made, which was now creaking, crumbling beneath the lost platform. A supportive wire snapped, and Vulcan chuckled, Voice malfunctioning into mad, skipping beats and buzzes. Check mate, sucker. “Are you sure you should be worrying about _me_ right now?”

The hero was confused, until a far-off scream, and the echoing of snapping columns had him turning away from the machine beneath him, and towards the sight of a collapsing building.

“Bastard!” He pointed a fist, but a call for his name halted his attack, the endangered citizens begged for his help from afar.

His voice whirred cynically. “Better go save the day, Sergeant Spandex.”

Without another word, he leapt to the rescue, voice fading behind as he furthered away. “That’s Sergeant Coups! And I’m not finished with you, yet!”

While the hero made quick work of catching falling boulders, and swooping up endangered workers, Vulcan had shot down from where he lay, crashing into a sewage drain below. By the time Coup’s had saved the day, and returned to finish the fight, The Vulcan thief was gone without a trace.

Coups clenched his fists, his anger brewing, but it wasn’t long before the media had approached him, berating him in celebration for saving the day-yet again.

He kept his smile on display, accepting their gratitude with humble waves. Despite the festivity, there was a dark, heavy sensation in his chest. They were safe for now, but he was not victorious. The Vulcan would return again, he always did. When that happened, he would finally defeat him. That robot bastard.

~

Between bonking around the sewers in a frenzied escape, and all the damage Coups had left during this particularly brutal fight, by the time he reached home the suit was practically falling apart. Using the underground workings of Seoul’s sewage system to get around in secret, while a good idea in theory, was honestly really shitty. He crawled out of the sewer huffing, falling against the grass on his back to catch his breath. He had to get inside, before satellite footage picked up on the fucking robot hanging out in the open.

Quickly, a sensor within his left arm triggered the entrance of the hideout, sucking him into the ground in a flash of flying grass and clunking metal.

The elevator down gave him a moment to collect himself, calm his nerves. He didn’t want the kids seeing him so aggravated after a fight. Though he couldn’t do anything about the state his body was in, he could at least pretend he was okay on the mental spectrum.

The room dinged, and the moment the doors swooshed open, everyone had come to his aid.

“Hyung, are you okay?” One of the children peered up with big brown eyes, running a careful hand along the misshapen metal of his chest armor.

He chuckled, triggering the opening of his face plate to assure him. “Quit worrying, Sam, who do you think I am?”

Despite his words, when he stood up to bring the suit into storage, his leg popped out of place, and Jihoon found himself faceplanting against the concrete floor with a yelp.

“Oh my god, what the fuck did you do?” Chan entered the room to see the rest of the kids running around the fallen robot in a panic, Jihoon’s words fell incoherently into the floor.

Working together, they heaved, turning the machine onto it’s back. The capsule door opened in a flash, and Jihoon sat up, rubbing his nose painfully. “Yah, Chan, watch your language. Who the fuck taught you to speak like that?”

He rolled his eyed. “How did it go? It looks like you went through an industrial sized washing machine.”

Jihoon pulled himself out of the robot carrying a large USB stick, smirking. “Besides Sergeant Shit-head messing up Vulcan? It went perfectly.”

The rest of the kids got to work with collecting misplaced parts, and sorting out their loot. Chan nestled up to Jihoon’s side at the computer in anticipation. “Man, I wish I could have seen that Kim bastard’s expression. I bet you scared the shit out of him.”

Jihoon laughed, popping the stick into the USB slot and bringing up the files. “I don’t know about that, but he did pee himself. So much for being the big buff boss man of banking; am I right?”

The picture he had taken, of the crowd of rich prudes, begging on their knees, displayed on the screen. Chan took in the sight with a satisfied whistle.

“This one deserves a spot on the wall.”

He pressed the print button with a smirk. “It sure does.”

“Hyung, Hyung!” Samuel had come up beside him, tugging at his shirt with a frown. “Everything’s broken, what do we do?”

“Ah, fuck…” When he stepped up to inspect for himself, he felt his stomach twisting. This probably happened when he got punched in the abdomen, the protective plate must have failed. He shooed the other kids away from the box. “Don’t touch it, you’ll cut yourself.”

Everything surely was broken, which was a goddamn shame. That dragon vase _alone_ was an estimated 2 million won! And the painting? It was a priceless collectable, now bent into a depressing ball of broken dreams within the capsule.

“Oh, some of the silverware is alright.” Chan chimed in beside him, pulling out a fork. “Plus, any of the silver could be melted down and re-utilized for parts.”

He hummed. “Okay, go get some gloves on. Salvage the parts, and we’ll see what we can do.”

By the time they had finished sorting through the junk and the broken bits, all they had left to make use of were a few bent spoons and shattered jewlery. The Silverware could be melted down, sold as raw material, or put to use in repairing the Vulcan. The jewelry was a bit trickier. They couldn’t be sold as is, but if they were able to separate the gems from the metals and auction each separately, they might be able to make a quick buck at the jewelers.

He sighed, resting on his desk chair while the other’s got to work. Thank god only two layers had failed, that Coups bastard really didn’t hold back today. He’d have to be more careful next time, or else it’s not just gonna be jewelry that’s getting beat to dust during their next face-off.

He sighed, there was always gonna be a next time, wasn't there?

This had been their usual gist, for the five years or so. Stealing, salvaging, and selling for a way to get by. If anyone happened to fall down the elevator trap of their secret hideout and discover this place, a dungy underground basement run amuck by a bunch of children, Jihoon wasn’t sure if he’d be able to offer a solid explanation for the ordeal without taking up an afternoon.

To put into cliff-notes, Jihoon was the leader of an orphan-run criminal organization.

Okay, not exactly, but it sounded less fucked-up when he thought of it that way. 16 years ago, Jihoon was dropped off at an orphanage. For what reason? He never found out, but a lack of parents had never been a real problem for him. He was five, he hardly remembered them, anyways. Most kids got snatched up like candy when they were as cute and young as Jihoon was. Unfortunately, nobody wanted a sharp-tongued brat like him under their care. He was too smart for his age, too observant. Before any potential parental candidates ever got the chance to introduce themselves, Jihoon had picked out their personality flaws, deducted the exact level of asymmetry in their faces, and informed them as such. It was only a bit of a turn off to have a little kid tell a man his left bicep’s diameter is approximately 1.5cm smaller than the right.

He supposed having a toddler with a potentially higher IQ than you was also a bit intimidating, but he digressed.

He spent his whole life in that place, and the kids who lived there became like a family to him. The woman who oversaw the orphanage, as well, became somewhat of a mother. She didn’t really seem all that offended by Jihoon’s ever-growing intelligence and snark. Plus, he appreciated her for staying out of the way when he got the need to tinker on miniature cars, or build fully functioning toy guns.

He also supposed, being 83 years old, she was probably too close to death to even notice.

He’d never had any long-term plans to become a criminal. Every child, at some time in their lives, had dreamed of being a hero; even Jihoon. All the stories on the news of the brave men and women keeping the earth safe from baddies, they were admirable. So admirable, that at least one in every five orphan children had probably snuck into a nuclear waste-site in hopes of picking up some powers from the radiation. Possibly related, at least one in ten had fallen ill from nuclear radiation poisoning.

Super powers didn’t really come from spider bites and fallen stars, though, as much as the media would have these hopeful orphans believe. You’re either born with them, or you’re not. Jihoon was on the spectrum of those born without, but unlike most people, he’d found a loophole to this issue. He’d had a knack for electronics and robotics for as long as he could ride a bike, and really, any regular human could become super with the addition of a fully armored mecha-suit. He dabbled in the idea of becoming one, using his genius for good. Seoul was such a shit-hole, it could probably use a hero or two. Unfortunately, his shallow dreams of pursuing justice died along with their Orphanage caregiver, right around the time the hero organization ‘MANSAE’ had formed.

When she died, it had really been the first time Jihoon felt heartache. It was like he’d lost his mother, and along with her, the roots of the orphanage began to rot. The loss was so sudden, and apparently, she’d never even had the wits to set a back-up plan in case of her death. Without any way to pay the bills, their landlord gave them the boot, like the cold old fart he’d proven himself to be. In any other city the government would have stepped in to support the helpless children who were now homeless, parent-less, and too young to work a steady office job.

But as a reminder, Seoul was an absolute shit-hole, so no such help ever came. All government funding that could have possibly went to helping their cause, was funneled straight into the bottomless gullet of MANSAE. They prioritized ridding the city of Villains over some snotty, homeless orphans, apparently. Being the oldest of the bunch, when they got kicked to the curb by society, Jihoon took it upon himself to take care of them.

It was a long time coming, this whole underground lair thing. They lived on the streets for a while, getting by on spare change and singing ‘kumbaya’ around fire pits of trash. They starved, they suffered, and while all of this was happening to them, the ‘hero’s’ of the city flaunted by like decorative peacocks. None of them gave a fuck, more accurately. When you’re 15 years old, struggling to support a brotherhood of 9 other young children, while the ‘hero’s’ do jack-shit, it’s easy to develop a complex towards them. The underground hideout didn’t happen overnight, neither did Vulcan. It was a trial and error situation. Jihoon’s first heist? It had ended in broken bones, lost morale, and negative profit. It took longer than an afternoon to scavenge the material they needed to build a proper suit, and even longer than that to figure out what exactly they were going to do with it.

This whole ‘mecha-suit’ concept had begun as a fleeting aspiration to become a superhero. But Jihoon wanted nothing to do with that collection of rich, heartless snobs anymore. All they cared about at the end of the day; was a fat paycheck and a spotlight on the morning news.

So, if he wasn’t going to join them, he might as well make their jobs a whole heck of lot harder. That’s how the Vulcan Thief came to light, a mechanical suit of solidified payback, set on kicking those rich assholes in the family jewels, both literally and figuratively. Plus, it wasn’t like they did this whole thing to roll around in wads of cash in an underground lair. Their profit went to Buying groceries, clothes, putting aside savings for when Chan went to college; It was how he made a living.

He had his villainous persona to uphold, though, so if anyone asked? Jihoon was the leader of an orphan run criminal organization. It sounded a lot less like an excuse when he explained it this way.

“What are you spacing out for?” Chan waved a hand over his face. Jihoon blinked away his distractions, slapping it away.

“I’m not, I’m just tired.”

“Oh, boo-hoo. We need more graphite rods; can you go shopping?” He held a piece of paper forward without a hint of empathy on his face.

Jihoon stared at it with a groan. “You guys are killing me.”

“I’ll gladly go get them myself if you’re gonna complain. Just way the word, boss.”

He snatched the paper away with a scowl. “No, fuck you. It’s dangerous in that part of town.”

Pulling on a plain grey hoodie from the rack, Jihoon got to his feet in a grumbling manner. The duties of a supervillain just never ended, did they?

He stopped at the elevator, turning back towards Chan, who had a smug little grin on his face that Jihoon felt the need to punch away. “And what did I tell you about calling me boss?”

He chuckled. “My bad, Hyung.”

Jihoon hmphed, stepping inside as the elevator doors swished open. “Fix your attitude before I get back, you brat.”

With that, the villain was shot up to the surface in a flash of titanium. Dino let out a laugh, leaning back in the empty chair as he watched the elevation numbers rise on the window. “Whatever you say, boss.”

~

Seungcheol pressed his hands against the desk, causing the wooden legs to creak precariously. The man sat under the weight of his stare with a nervous expression, and although Seungcheol meant no disrespect, he didn’t have the energy left to act friendly. Forcing himself to smile and talk pretty for the camera’s all day long, meant that at the end of the day when he turned up to clock out, all of his patience had run dry. “What do you mean you don’t know? I’ve given you everything you’ve requested, and you still haven’t figured it out?” Under the burden of his growing aggravation, the desk’s foundation threatened to split in half.

“Sergent-“

“-I’m off duty, sir.” He cut him off, frustrated.

Mr. Han straightened the papers he had been sorting with a nervous cough, unable to look the hero straight in the eyes. “Ah, right. Uh-Seungcheol. I’m sorry, but you have to understand that the research team has been doing everything in their power to fulfill your request. We just don’t have enough evidence to make a clear profile, yet.”

“You don’t have- What do you mean you don’t have enough evidence? Haven’t I given you everything you asked for?” He leaned in closer with a dark expression.

The man before him went clammy at the confrontation, a bit flustered. “No, no; you’ve done everything right, Seungcheol. You’ve been a tremendous help.” Seungcheol lifted his palms off the table as he spoke, giving Mr. Han some space to breathe. “It’s just that, even with what we have, we’ve only gotten so far in deciphering the evidence. I’m afraid it’s too ambiguous to take public action as of now.”

He crossed his arms. “Am I supposed to just take your word that the team is figuring it out? What exactly have they found out so far, huh? That he’s a robot? The whole fucking city knows _that_ much already... Sir.”

“Seungcheol, please, just have some patience. If our team gets a breakthrough on the situation, you will be the first to know. I’ll come tell you personally!” He fiddled with his pen, feeling hot under Seungcheol’s stare.

“Sir, with all due respect, I’m out of patience. Lives are at stake, here. The very foundation of our city, is at stake, and you expect me to just sit back and wait? Whatever we have so far-just give it to me. I’ll go hunt him down myself if that’s what it takes.” Seungcheol slammed a hand down on the desk in declaration, leaving an indent in the wood. Mr. Han flinched, and Seungcheol lifted the fist with a guilty expression.

“Well-uhm. I can read you today’s update, if you would like, but I really don’t think it will help you much in the state that it’s in.” he fumbled with his papers, searching for the one in question.

Seungcheol watched with a sigh. “Yes sir, please.” With the paper in hand, Mr. Han began to read.

“As of today’s additional data, we have deducted three possibilities on the matter of the Vulcan Thief’s identity. Possibility A, is that of cybergenetics, meaning the Vulcan’s outer appearance is his true identity. The Vulcan could be a self-functioning robot, or, a human with cybergenetic enhancements so extreme, that it’s entire outer shell is robotic. The problem with this deduction is obviously- how has he been able to get around in secret all this time if he really is a cyborg? This is the most unlikely case listed, for that reason.”

Seungcheol hummed, cupping his chin. “What about the second one?”

“Well, possibility B, is that the Vulcan is a puppet. Not in the literal implication, but in the sense that he is entirely robotic, and is being controlled remotely. This way, ‘the Vulcan’ would have no problem if we were to catch him. He could simply build another robot, or stay in hiding. Except, our research team is certain that if this is the case, and we did capture the Vulcan, we would be able to use it to track the source of a remote connection. We have never discovered any satellite or radio waves being emitted from the Vulcan during any of your battles, so this one is also unlikely, but it’s very possible that the robot could be controlled cybernetically as well.” He flipped to the next page swiftly. “Now, the last possibility, C, is that the Vulcan is a suit.”

“A suit?” He quirked an eyebrow.

“Yes, a mechanical suit of sorts. Based on our evidence, this is the most likely scenario. We have also managed to create a rough profile of the Vulcan based on this theory, but until we know for sure if this is true, the description is useless.”

He perked up, leaning closer. “Well, what is it?”

“It’s just a theory-”

“-I understand that, just give me what you’ve got, sir.”

Mr. Han pulled at his necktie uneasily. “Okay, well… The Vulcan as it is, is approximately 245cm tall, with a wingspan of 213cm. Taking into account that the ‘suit’ is equipped with numerous extra limbs, compartments for storage, and room for the inner-workings of the machinery, the man inside must be smaller than the that. Through a rough diagram of how the suit works, we have deducted that It’s most likely a man with a height of 180cm.”

He turned the paper for Seungcheol to see, where a sketch had been drawn indicating the height, and various other estimated features. Only, he was faceless.

“That’s it?”

“I told you, it’s not much. With the audio recordings you have given us, our team has deciphered what his voice might sound like, as well.” He pressed a button on a remote, bring up a warbled, deep-set voice from a far speaker.

When the audio finished, Seungcheol scratched his head. “Well, exactly how many people in the city could be 180cm, with a deep voice? We could demand anyone who fits the profile to come in for a screening, or-.”

He sighed. “About 164,000 people.”

“What?”

“There are approximately 164,000 men in Seoul who fit the profile. Not only is it impossible to round up every single tall man in the city, we don’t even know if he lives here. He could take refuge in neighboring cities, or hell, other countries. It’s just way too vague, Seungcheol. I’m sorry.”

Seungcheol took a breath, staring back at Mr. Han with disbelief. He considered pressing on, demanding more evidence, but in reality, Mr. Han was right. It wasn't the research teams fault, he was just getting restless. He turned away towards the door with a huff. “I’m leaving for the day.”

“Thanks’ for your hard work, Sergeant.”

He waved, the heavy wooden doors shutting behind him.

Seungcheol ushered away his driver with a frown. A bit of alone time was exactly what he needed. He made his way down the street with a cotton mask over his face, and some casual, inconspicuous attire to hide his identity. Without the bright spandex suit, nobody paid him much mind while he cleared his head.

It was only the afternoon, so the city was bustling with life. Being so close to the MANSAE headquarters left little opportunity for criminals to prosper, but the further he walked, the more he saw the atmosphere darken. Even with superheroes working every hour of the day, there continued to be corruption in this world. It was unbelievable, the amount of people he put away every day when he  compared it to the growing crime rates. Part of him had to wonder why these people even bothered, knowing the threat they faced as retrubution.

It was because of people like the Vulcan thief, he supposed. Every time that bastard showed up, Seungcheol vowed to defeat him, to throw him away and stop his reign of terror, and every time… He lost. The Vulcan always managed to escape. Among the notable villains of the city, the Vulcan was like a role model for the rest. They probably thought ‘if that guy can face the best superhero in the city and get away with it, I can too.’

It was all that robot bastards fault.

Seungcheol kicked a pebble, shoving his hands into his pockets with a frown. Somewhere in the city of Seoul was the Vulcan, the cold-hearted, metal god of destruction. It felt unbelievable to imagine, but then again, here he was. The famous 'Sergeant Coups’, walking through the city on a busy Friday afternoon. Part of him wondered if he and the Vulcan had ever met before. A man close to his height, with a deep-set voice, it could really be anyone…

As he had been staring at his feet in thought, when the door to a shop opened up and slammed against his face, Seungcheol landed on his ass from surprise alone.

The stranger dropped his bags for a moment when he saw Seungcheol, rushing to his aid. “Oh shit, are you okay?” Slender, pale fingers entered his vision as an offering of assistance, and Seungcheol took it without question. When his eyes met the stranger’s face, though, he felt himself lost for a moment.

“I’m fine, thanks.” He pulled up to his feet, and found himself looking down at the boy, expression hidden slightly behind his hood.

His eyes stayed planted on the floor, responding softly. “No problem.”

The boy grabbed his belongings and walked away without another word, struggling to carry the numerous groceries and miscellaneous shopping bags in his grip. Seungcheol stared after him, a little tingling sensation left where he’d held his hand remained. He was pretty short, much smaller than Seungcheol was, so when he stood to his feet and looked down at him all he saw was a button nose and pink lips against pale skin, eyes shadowed by a baggy grey hoodie.

Seungcheol chuckled, pulling himself out of his daze and continuing down the sidewalk. It wasn’t every day that he met someone cute enough to make him lose his train of thought.

For a moment there, he’d even stopped worrying about that robot bastard.


	2. An Offer You Can't Refuse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What kind of a snob holds a charity auction in the form of a masquerade ball?

 

Chapter 2: An Offer You Can't Refuse

The music pouring through his headphones blared soft melodies, blocking outside distractions from breaking his concentration. Lying on his back on a creeper, parked beneath the massive torso of the Vulcan to access it’s open-faced shoulder, Jihoon tweezed together broken wires articulately.

He’d been at it for two weeks now, working on getting his suit back in working condition. This time around the damage had been much more than skin deep. Repairs had to be made all the way through to the central circuiting, and many of the damaged parts had to be completely re-casted; they weren’t at all salvageable.

He peered through loupe goggles, magnifying in on the microscopic panels on the left shoulder-blade, where the arm had lost a big chunk of its major functions from disconnected wiring. He had to remember for next time, to try and adjust the servo. His left shoulder had faced the most fall-damage during his latest fight, so it must be a bit off balance. The goggles were set aside, and Jihoon blinked away a temporary wave of dizziness as he gave the repair-job a once-over.

He pulled over a sawdering mask after connecting the last of the wiring, watching with hazy interest as sparks flew.

“Hyung!” Chan slammed a hand down on the hunk of metal to alert Jihoon of his presence, leaning against a wall as he waited for the boy to wheel out from under the robot.

He flipped his mask up and pulled off his headphones, glaring behind a tired ring of dark circles at the younger boy.

“God, you look like a golem.” Chan tossed an apple to Jihoon, who fumbled to catch it. “Here, eat, before you die or something.”

Jihoon stared at the black smudges he’d left on the apple with a grimace, feeling his appetite shrivel. “Uh, thanks. Maybe later”

He sighed. “You haven’t eaten in two days. Can you at least _pretend_ to care about your health? The other kids are worried.”

“I’ll eat it, just let me finish on the shoulder first.” He yawned. “And tell those guys to quit worrying. skipping as few meals isn’t gonna be the end of me.”

“Maybe not, but you don’t sleep, too. You haven’t showered, and you spend all day working on your back surrounded by propane fumes. If you don’t quit acting like a hermit, you’re not gonna live a long life, hyung.”

Jihoon smirked, placing the apple on the table nearest to where he was sitting. “Aw, is Channie-wannie worried about me?”

He rolled his eyes. “I really question whether you’re older than me sometimes.” Chan sat down on a desk chair, pulling up computer files while Jihoon wiped grease away from his hands. "Anyways, get a load of this."

On the screen played a video-recording of a man in his 40’s, giving a public announcement. Jihoon recognize him as Hwang Se-Jun, the direct relative to the founder of JFE communications corp., and current CEO of JFE mobile. He oversaw this multi-billion dollar cell business due to the simple fact that his late ‘daddy dearest’ built the foundation from the ground up, and handed it down to him after biting the dust. He was a free-loading billionaire, in simple terms.

“Why are you showing me this?” Jihoon glared up at the man’s sickeningly enthusiastic grin as he spoke through a microphone.

Chan turned up the volume, his expression unchanging. “Just listen.”

“Mr. Hwang, is it true that you are teaming up with MANSAE’s research team to track down the Vulcan thief?” The reporter asked, holding her notepad open in a readied position as she spoke.

The man leaned in to the mic, smiling. “Yes, the rumors are true. It is a project that we have been working on for a while now, behind the scenes, but due to the recent attack against Silver Plutus, and the damage to our downtown residents, we have decided to go public with our plans.”

The crowd buzzed, jotting down cliff-notes and wreaking havoc gossiping among subordinates. The next man in the line stood, speaking to Hwang with speculation.

“But sir, how exactly is your company going to help?”

He cleared his voice before beginning. “I cannot disclose too much information, but I will say this. J.F.E communications currently holds the spot as _the_ _most_ wide-spread cell coverage in the country. We are a company which has worked with machines for years, and I believe that along-side the genius minds at MANSAE, the Vulcan thief will be in our hands in due time. He is merely a rogue robot, after all.”

Camera’s flashed, reflecting off a glimmer along the man’s forehead . He tapped a finger against the side of the podium, and Jihoon watched the motion scrutinizing.

Another reporter stood. “Sir, are you not afraid that the Vulcan Thief will target you after finding out your plans? He has been known to go after large corporations such as yours.”

His smile never fell, but the corners of his mouth trembled, unnoticeable to anyone who wasn’t paying attention. “We at JFE are aware of the threat, which is why we have begun to take extensive precautions to protect our beloved staff and customers. If the Vulcan thief makes a move to stop us, it will only increase our chances of capturing him, so we are not worried.”

After that, Chan paused the tape, turning towards Jihoon with a frown. “What do you think?”

He scoffed. “It’s a bluff, that douche-bag was sweating actual bullets. This is just another dumb publicity stunt to silence the masses.”

“I don’t think it’s entirely a stunt, though.” He clicked back on the file, selecting screencaps from security footage to display. “There’s been increased sightings of superhero’s patrolling the JFE headquarters, and it’s been rumored that he’s in cahoots with Sergeant Coups himself.”

Jihoon crossed his arms, staring into the black-and-white screencaps with little discernable interest. “They’re doing it on purpose, Chan. What do you think the use of announcing this shit on live television is? It’s not gonna speed up their research, that’s for damn sure.”

“That’s for the public, isn’t it? To stop people from filing safety complaints over you.”

He shook his head, expression serious. “That’s not all, Channie.”

“Stop calling me-… ugh, fine. What else is there, then?”

“I can say for certain that this announcement is meant to serve as bait. They’re taunting me with a public figure who they know I would be _happy_ to humiliate. It’s hardly a threat, too. I don’t think their cell-phone towers are going to be able to do much in terms of finding us. They’re just using the basis of his platform to pretend they have something on me, to make me feel pressured to act, you know?” He let out a breath. “And the superhero situation is because they legitimately believe I’m going to make a move after this. I think they’ve really misjudged my character.”

Chan raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re _really_ going to do nothing? They basically broadcasted a big fat ‘fuck you’ to the whole country.”

Jihoon laid back down on the creeper, collecting his sawdering mask and headphones in his arms. “I’m not doing anything until the Vulcan is in working condition.” He rolled beneath the machine, voice muffled. “After that, we’ll see. Keep me updated on the situation if anything else comes up.”

Chan let out an exasperated breath as the boy’s feet disappeared beneath the robot. “fine, just don’t come whining to me when those MANSAE bastards knock down our front door.” His eyes wandered to the apple, smothered in oil and grease. “Oh, and if I come back and that apples not eaten, I’m gonna come down there and fuck up your wiring, just so you know.”

“Fine!”

~

It was 3:00am when Jihoon had finished attaching the outer plates to the shoulder blade. Somehow between lying down, and finding comfort in the radiated warmth that came from his sawdering iron, he’d fallen asleep on the job. He rolled out from under the machine, coughing away chemicals in his lungs as his vision cleared. There was no way to tell what time of day it was from here, but he’d probably wasted a lot of time sleeping.

The apple was still there, still dirtied with oil and grunge. He didn’t doubt Chan's threats, though, so after a thorough rinsing under sink water, he began to eat away at it. His appetite hadn’t returned despite his fasting, it never did when he was in ‘repair mode.’ And yeah, Chan was right about it being bad for his health, but Jihoon hardly had the time to care about such trivial things.

After the process of repurposing and selling the loot from their recent scavenge, their profit had only come to about 790,000 won. The price of groceries and weekly expenses had cut that in half already, and after buying the new supplies needed for repairs, they were left with a measly 200,000 to last the rest of the month. It wasn’t going to be long before Jihoon would need to get back to work, but the Vulcan wasn’t even close to fitting his current vision.

It was a bad, a really fucking bad idea to even consider this… But he may have to sacrifice some of the repairs to go on a brief outing. That’s only if they end up needing emergency money, though.

The door to his garage swooshed open, and Chan entered alongside Samuel and Song-min, all three rushing towards him with a sense of urgency.

“MANSAE released a televised announcement this morning, I just received the recording.” Chan let out, huffing to catch his breath.

Jihoon raised an eyebrow. “Catch your breath, wheezy. What’s with the panicking?”

“It’s big news, Hyung!” Samuel reached up on his tip-toes to put the USB stick into the computer, bringing up a video.

On the screen was Sung Soo-Han, The founder, and current head of MANSAE. Jihoon would be able to recognize that greasy face anywhere.

He tapped on the mic with a shaky finger, anxious as always, to test the sound before he spoke. There was a massive crowd surrounding his podium, fans and citizens, police-men, superhero’s, the whole shebang. Their eyes laid heavy on the anxious frame of their respectable Mr. Sung.

He cleared his throat. “As of today, the Management home, and National Superhero Agency of Education, will be opening a new, innovative program to the world. One which has never been attempted before.”

Jihoon rolled his eyes. This man must be the only one who’s ever said the full acronym; what a ridiculous name. Still, his interest was piqued at the implication of his words.

“For years now, our company has worked together with superheroes to clean the streets of criminals, and put them behind bars. We are proud to say that this organization has successfully helped to purify the name of Seoul city, and make it a proud place to be a part of.”

The crowd cheered, and Sung waited for the celebration to fade in order to continue. “However, there are problems that we have not addressed properly for some time now. Our prisons are bursting at the seams, and current rehabilitation systems cannot keep up with the continuous growth of criminal activity. For these reasons, I have decided to give project CLAP the green light.”

“What the fu-”

Chan shushed him with a finger. “Just listen.”

“CLAP being; the Criminal Liberation Assistance Program. This is a project which will introduce a new form of rehabilitation to criminals, by setting them up with the Superhero’s within our organization in a mentorship program. Rather than serving their full sentence, a wide range of criminals will be given the opportunity to enter CLAP, instead. It is our hope that through this mentorship program, more criminals will be able to re-enter our community as rehabilitated citizens.”

At that, the crowd began to cheer, and Chan put the recording on pause.

Jihoon scoffed. “That sounds ridiculous, who would ever agree to it?”

“As of this morning, their program has accepted more than 300 criminals into their mentorship program.” Chan deadpanned, reading through the stats he’d collected.

“God, where’s the fucking appeal?”

Chan sighed. “The appeal is, they’re offering to cut a criminal’s prison time where it stands, and even offer jobs to eligible candidates upon completion. It’s a win-win situation for both MANSAE and criminals alike.”

Jihoon snatched the paper away from Chan, scanning through the rest of the information. “Even the ones who are currently serving time?”

“Anyone who’s below maximum-security level is eligible.”

“And I guess you’re thinking this is going to fuck up our plans?”

Chan brought up a chart on the screen, the red arrow gradually moved up. “I’ve created an estimation based on current numbers. If CLAP is a success, the rate of superhero’s in the city is going to increase tenfold. So yes, this is going to fuck up our plans; Majorly.”

Jihoon cupped his chin, humming. Song-min came up next to him with a steaming mug, tugging at his sleeve.

“Hyung, I brought your coffee.” He held the mug up with a bright smile, and Jihoon ruffled his hair as he accepted the offering.

“Thank’s Minnie.” He took a long sip, deliberating. They had enough trouble as it was, dealing with the current mass of superhero’s. If Chans numbers were correct, then they were truly boned.

“So? What are we gonna do?” Chan watched him drink, tapping his foot against the concrete floor impatiently.

Jihoon set his coffee down and laid back on the creeper, collecting the tools beside him that he would need to finish the Vulcan’s repairs. All that was left among basic repairs was checking up on the Servo and the CPU. It shouldn’t take much longer than a day if he powered through it.

Before rolling underneath, he smiled up at Chan. “It seems like I’m going to have to pay Mr. Hwang Se-Jung a visit, Channie.”

“Again, with the name…” Jihoon rolled under, getting back to work and ignoring Chan’s annoyance. He sighed. “Whatever. Let me know when you’re ready to suit-up, boss.”

“Don’t call me boss!”

~

“No disrespect, but really I don’t understand why you’ve chosen me for this, sir. I’m a hero, not a bodyguard” Seungcheol was standing by his coat rack as he unbuttoned his suit jacket. Mr. Sung stood by his side, fumbling with glasses nervously.

“Please don’ t think of yourself as a bodyguard, Sergeant.” He hummed, looking away as Seungcheol undressed. “Our team is certain that the Vulcan will act against Mr. Hwang, and we want to ensure you are there, and ready for action when he does… Think of it as an… Undercover mission!”

Seungcheol sighed, unimpressed, as he stepped into his uniform. “And if the city faces trouble while I’m undercover? What then?”

“No worries, we have stationed extra superhero’s all throughout the city during the time of your absence. There shouldn’t be any trouble.”

Seungcheol gave himself the ‘up-and-down’ in the mirror, inspecting his uniform with a hint of insecurity. It was tight, flexible fabric, which wouldn’t break no matter what kind of situation he got into. Flame retardant, slash-resistant, the works. Still, it looked ridiculously flashy. He didn’t blame the Vulcan for using it against him during all of their verbal confrontation's. It was actually starting to get to him a bit, these days.

“Exactly how long would I have to play body-guard?”

“Until the Vulcan makes another appearance.”

He spun to face the man. “Sir! That could be _weeks_.”

Mr. Sung adjusted his glasses with a cough. “Yes, but we’ve promised Mr. Hwang that much.”

Seungcheol wiped a hand down his face. “This is ridiculous.”

“Please, Sergeant, you’re the only one I think can pull this off.” He clapped his hands together in a pleading motion. “And I think it’s the opportunity of a lifetime to defeat your mortal nemesis.”

He sighed. “Fine, but don’t expect me to sit still if a disaster happens during my absence.”

“Of course!.... And, uh… Sergeant?”

“Yes, sir?”

He handed him a paper bag, filled with all the components to a bodyguard’s suit.. “You’ll need to wear this over your uniform.”

Seungcheol took the bag, peering into black fabric. “Ugh… Yes, sir.”

~

It was a mere two days into agreeing to this dumb idea, that Seungcheol began to regret it. Here he was, on a Saturday afternoon, leaning against a wall in the middle of a party when he could be out there… You know, doing his fucking job saving people. In the short time he’d spent getting to know Hwang Se-Jung, the man had proven himself to be a bigger prick than he’d ever imagined. He supposed that’s what happens when you’re rolling around in money since birth. Honestly, who the hell throws a masquerade ball as a ‘charity auction’?

It worked in his favor, he supposed. Today he was undercover as a bodyguard, undercover as a guest at the party. Hwang thought having Seungcheol loom over him all night would ‘ruin the fun atmosphere.’

But at least that meant he could sit in a corner and avoid dull party conversation. With a glass full of fruit punch, and a small plate of fancy party snacks. He could simply watch for imposing danger from afar and stuff his face.

Although the atmosphere of the party was light, as guests danced around in expensive clothing and embellished party masks, Seungcheol knew well that he couldn’t let his guard down. Anyone with an invitation to the event, or a spot as staff, could wander in without being questioned. As well, anyone bold enough to sneak in could mingle among the guests without raising suspicion. With everyone’s faces partially covered, even he, Sergeant Coups, stood among the festivity unnoticed.

He supposed the Vulcan Thief couldn’t exactly wander in here with a mask over his 8-foot fucking robotic stature and blend in, but he wasn’t the only criminal in the city with a target on Hwang’s head. He’d need to keep his guard up tonight.

Speak of the devil, Seungcheol perked up when Mr. Hwang waved a hand to him, calling him over to where he’d been mingling with a harem of girls. He sighed, walking over without protest.

“Mr. Park!” He called with his arm wrapped around the narrow shoulders of a young girl. Park, being the alias he would use during this job. “I would like you to meet Eunha, my daughter.”

She bowed, smiling sweetly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

She was very young, maybe seventeen based on the baby fat in her cheeks, and the innocence of her complexion. She was also short, slender, with a bobbed brunette haircut which framed her face charmingly. Her mask was delicate and silver, hardly 'masking' much of anything. Seungcheol returned the bow with a hint of adamance. “The pleasures mine.”

Hwang ran a hand on her back, causing the girl to look temporarily uncomfortable as he nudged her forward. “Eunha is turning nineteen very soon, her birthday is just a week from now. Isn’t she a beautiful girl, Mr. Park? She’s just as stunning as her mother was!”

“Uh, yes, very lovely.” Oh god, was he trying to set him up with his daughter? Seungcheol let out an awkward laugh as Eunha looked up at him with round, enthralled eyes. It seemed like the girl wasn’t too against the idea, either. Whoop-dee-fucking-doo.

“You will be here for her birthday, yes? At my private property.”

Seungcheol smiled. “Yes, of course.”

“Ah, good.” He looked out towards the dance floor, smirking. “Such a lovely night, isn’t it? I’ve been trying to convince Eunha to dance, but she’s just too shy to ask anyone. Won’t you accompany her, Mr. Park?”

Had this guy meant to hire a bodyguard, or a marriage candidate? Seungcheol held back the need to call him out, seeing as he was on the job, and he couldn’t exactly curse out his temporary boss... It was completely inappropriate, though, and he wasn’t about to go along with the charade and entertain the fantasies of these snobby fucks.

He smiled respectfully. “I’m sorry, I hate to admit it, but I have two left feet when it comes to dancing.” He turned quickly, picking up an attractive-enough young man from within arm reach. “This man, however, would be delighted to lead you.”

In the short moment that the three were left bewildered, Seungcheol had wandered back to his post beside the buffet table. He sighed. If only those bowls were filled wine instead of punch.

To his surprise, the man he’d snatched from the crowd blindly, was now woo-ing Eunha onto the dance floor, and they looked to be a much better fit for each other than he would have been. Seeing Hwang grind his teeth in a corner sort of made it worth the aggravation.

“Not much for parties, huh?"

He jumped, turning to face the voice with a hint of surprise. When had this guy creeped up beside him? Seungcheol took in his appearance quickly, ensuring there was no danger. He was a bit short, with pitch-black hair brushed neatly over pale skin. A black mask adorned with crystals covered the majority of his face, stopping him from examining his appearance too carefully. Nonetheless, Seungcheol smiled, relaxing back against the wall. He didn’t give off any sense of suspicion, anyways.

“I’m not against them, this is just a little much for me.”

The boy let out a small chuckle. “I get what you mean. Mr. Hwang really goes all out for charity, doesn’t he?”

Oh, yeah, ‘charity.’ I guess you could call a bunch of rich guys chucking dollar bills at corporate pity auctions ‘charity.’ He was _sure_ all the money was going towards that starving homeless child on the projector screen. “He sure does.” He replied, with a tinge of sarcasm. He shifted onto a shoulder to face the boy, who was peering up through his mask with round brown eyes. It was probably just because of the mask, he supposed, but he did get a mysterious vibe from the stranger. “And what about you? I don’t think the corner by the buffet table is exactly the ‘hottest’ place to mingle.”

“I’m not really one for… mingling, I guess.”

Seungcheol chuckled. “Oh, really? What convinced you to come keep me company, then?”

The boy smiled, dimples forming against his skin. “You seem… different. I was just a bit intrigued when I saw you.”

A part of him had little alarms going off at that, at the implication that the boy had recognized him, somehow. Then again, Seungcheol wasn’t all that used to having guys flirt with him, and that was certainly the vibe he was getting. Not that he was complaining, anyways.

“Different how?” He questioned, a playful tone against his expression.

The boy was in a nice, tailored suit, which Seungcheol admired with a quick glance.

“Not to sound rude, but you have an honest face. Everyone at these parties are always laughing, smiling… But you looked kind of angry, actually.”

He chuckled. “Ah, really?” Damn, he needed to control his expression. Even if it wasn’t a regular gig, he was still on the job. “I’ve just had a… tough day at work.”

“I guess that’s the way it goes when you work with Mr. Hwang.” His expression didn’t waver, peering up at Seungcheol as if examining his reaction.

“Uh, sorry?”

For a moment, he looked surprised. “Do you not work for him? I saw you two talking before.”

“Oh, right… I wouldn’t say I work for him. It’s more of a business partners situation.”

“Makes sense. I just thought it's safe to assume everyone here has _some_ kind of a connection to him. I’ve heard working directly with him is a pain, though.”

He scoffed. “You’re telling me. The man’s a cocky bastard, that’s for sure.” Seungcheol winced at his own words, giving a little pleading look to the boy. “You’re not gonna bring this all back to him, are you?”

He held a finger to his lips. “Your secrets safe with me.”

Seungcheol sighed out, relieved. “Great. Hey, could I offer you some punch? I’m sorry I don’t have anything to spike it with to dull the pain of sitting through the rest of this thing.”

The boy let out a real laugh at that. “I’d love some, no spiking necessary.” When Seungcheol handed him the drink, he took notice to the way their fingers brushed together, gently so. “I only spike my drink when the conversation is dull, anyways.”

At this point, Seungcheol could safely assume it was flirting. And he _definitely_ wasn’t complaining. “Glad I’m not boring you… uh, I’m sorry, I just realized I don’t know your name.”

“My names Lee. And you?”

“S-, uh, park. It’s park.”

They shook hands. Seungcheol had almost let down his guard without even realizing it. Giving out his real name was not the professional way to go about this! Cute mysterious boy or not, he was on the freaking job.

The boy took a sip of his punch, eyes peering up. If only he wasn’t wearing that mask, Seungcheol really wished he could see the rest of his face.

“I guess it makes sense that you’ve had a tough time at work, after that announcement Hwang made. Is he really working with MANSAE?”

Seungcheol sucked up the little voice in his mind that was screaming ‘impress this boy with your inside knowledge!’ and settled with something vague. “I haven’t heard much, but that would be a pretty stupid lie to announce on live TV.”

“Yeah, I guess… Aren’t you afraid? A lot of guests didn’t attend this because they thought the Vulcan would show up tonight.”

Seungcheol scoffed, feeling his stomach twist at the very idea. Scared of that metal coward? How absurd. “I doubt he’d show up to something like this. He’s never crashed charity events in the past.”

“Oh, you seem to know a lot.” He chuckled when Seungcheol’s eyes went wide.

His palms were a bit sweaty. Had it always been this hard for him to keep his composure? He felt like he’d reverted back to a nervous middle-schooler in the presence of a long-term crush. “Ah, I just keep up with the news. It’s hard to avoid when they’re always talking about him, you know?”

“That makes sense. When do _you_ think he’s going to attack, then?”

Seungcheol thought for a moment, humming. “I’d take a wild guess and say the daughter’s birthday party.”

“Her birthday is coming up?” He leaned a bit closer, an air of innocence around him.

Seungcheol felt the proximity as an invitation for him to loom above the boy, playfully domineering. “Yeah, next week or something. It’s probably going to be big since it’s her nineteenth, sounds like the kind of event he’d love to fuck up.”

“Sure does.” He smirked, almost knowingly. “They’re probably going to bump up the security for it, though. Plus, I doubt they’d throw it somewhere public.”

Seungcheol took a quick peak around to ensure nobody else was listening in, feeling a bit nervous about the conversation topic. This kid seemed to be really interested… Almost _too_ interested. But, he was probably just keeping the conversation going. It wasn’t surprising that people would want to analyze the situation, seeing how relevant it was right now. “Yeah, I don’t think they would have the party without taking precautions.”

He hummed, looking away from Seungcheol, and watching a the hands on a far-off clock tick by. “Oh damn, It’s getting pretty late. I should probably get going now.”

As he set the glass down, Seungcheol felt himself panicking to find an excuse to make him stay. “You’re leaving?”

“Yeah, I should head home... It’s been nice talking to you though, Mr. Park”

He turned to leave, but Seungcheol caught him by the wrist, feeling embarrassed when the boy looked up at him with curious eyes. “Will I see you again?” 

“Maybe at another one of Mr. Hwang’s charity events?” he chuckled

“What about the birthday party? Will you be there?” Seungcheol loosened the grip on his wrist, leaving his hand rested gently against soft skin.

He hummed, considering. “Where’s it being held again?”

“His house! The main one. You should come, It’s going to be a boring night without my buffet buddy.”

The boy smiled, slipping away from Seungcheol’s grip teasingly. “I’ll be there. How could I refuse an offer like that?”

“Great! I’ll bring a flask next time, in case I bore you.”

He laughed, turning away with a humored wave.

The mysterious boy disappeared among the crowd of guests, vanishing from Seungcheol's eyeline as he found himself falling back against the wall, feeling a bit wistful. He _shouldn’t_ be flirting on the job, he had to remind himself. Maybe it was just the casual ambiance of the party, or the fact that he was bored out of his mind, but all the walls in his head had crumbled seeing that dimpled smile.

It was also pretty foolish for him to be looking forward to that party, knowing it was the day that Vulcan bastard was most likely to strike.

Somehow though, a chance to meet the mysterious boy again made this stupid undercover mission kind of worth it.

~

When Jihoon had finally managed to slip away through the back-door of the buildings kitchen, he made his way into the shadows of a nearby alley-way. Hidden by darkness, he removed his mask, shoving the heavy accessory into his suit jacket for safe keeping. His smile had fallen as he felt the bitterness of friendly conversation catching up to him. Nonetheless, he'd gotten what he needed. One week from now the beloved daughter of Hwang Se-Jun would hold her Nineteenth birthday at their private residence. A glorious get-together, which only the wealthiest, and the most relevant guests would attend.

It would seem he had some time to finish extra repairs on the Vulcan, before the party began.

 


	3. Surveillance

                                                

**Chapter 3: Surveillance**

Chan had trudged his way out of bed, following the muffled sounds of stammered wimbling seeping through clasped metal walkways. He entered the hallway which led to the entrance of Jihoon’s workshop, face cringing as the side-lights blared awake upon his presence.

The door to the main workshop whooshed shut, as Chan stood knocking his fist against a hollow chunk of metal, staring down with a scowl at the robot before him. “Yah, Hyung.”

Jihoon didn’t respond, a foot which peaked out from underneath the side of the Vulcans torso tapped along to the faint beat of his headphones while Chan stood by. he huffed, trying again. “Boss!”

His attempts to get Jihoon’s attention bounced off the Vulcan’s big stupid chest uselessly, so Chan settled with driving his foot into the side of its stomach, the crash ricocheting and startling Jihoon into slamming his forehead against the metal above him.

“Augh!”

Chan immediately winced, clutching his foot and hopping about as the pain faded. At least though, he’d gotten Jihoon’s attention.

He straightened up, biting back a cry as Jihoon began to roll out from underneath, rubbing at his forehead with oil-slick fingers.

“What the fuck was that for, Chan?” He sat up, rubbing his palms against a soiled cloth, which did little against the stains.

He scoffed. “What, you thought you were just gonna come home and get back to work without telling me shit? What happened last night? Did you find anything good?”

“More than good, Chan. Some idiot at the ball gave me the date and location of our next heist.” He pulled himself to his feet, bringing up a datafile on the computer, containing pages of information. “Voila!”

Chan read through, arms anchored against the back of Jihoon’s desk chair. “What?… Some random dude gave you all this? What did you do, sleep with him?”

“Of course not, Jesus.” He flicked him in the forehead, frowning. “And he didn’t give me _all_ of this… Just enough that I could do the rest of the research myself. It was pretty easy to find, surprisingly.”

Chan chuckled, rubbing his forehead with a smirk. “What _did_ you do to get it, then? I’d imagine anyone with ties to Hwang would be told pretty clearly to keep things hush hush, especially the details of his precious daughter’s birthday.”

Despite scowling, Jihoon felt his face flushing as he thought back to yesterday. “It doesn’t matter how I got it. Maybe I slipped a 10,000 won bill into his pants and danced the hokey pokey, it got us our shit so shut up.”

“… Did you really?”

“Fuck you, of course not. Now look at this map and make yourself useful, kid.”

Chan chuckled, pulling up a stool and zooming in and out on bit’s of the property. “This place is huge…”

“Yeah, I know. The sheer size should give me a variety of safe entrance points. Unfortunately, we have no way to know the routs of his staff and security, and the map doesn’t show the outline of security camera’s.” He clicked a button, bringing up the underground layout of the building up, overlaid on the map. “What do you think?”

“That man must pay a fortune for water bills.”

Jihoon huffed, giving Chan a light smack on the side of his head. “Focus, Channie. I have a few options this time around. Here,” he pointed, “is the lowest floor of the building, where the laundry room is. Only the maids go down there, but I’d imagine it has a lot of camera’s as well.”

He pointed to another spot, outside the house. “Here is the main fountain, it’s huge enough that I could probably drill an entrance through the pipes without being noticed, but it’s also where the guests will be entering. The media and security will be tight.” He zoomed out, rubbing his temple. “There’s a few other spots, but I see flaws in all of them. Either there’s too many camera’s or too many people. I need to be more careful this time, I can’t risk getting caught before we get what we need.”

Chan hummed. Scanning over the map, focusing on one section with a click of the mouse. “What about here?”

“The bathroom?” Jihoon raised an eyebrow.

“From the looks of it, it’s the main bathroom. Very flashy, very big. There’s a statue in the very center, see?. It’s connected to a major pipeline, which means it must shoot water or something.” He flipped the viewpoint to bring up the 3d model. “It’s fucking huge, about 10 feet tall. If it’s a fountain of some type, the inside should be mainly hallowed, so I bet you could drill your way into it. Then you’d have a pretty solid place to stake out until it’s time to strike.” Chan gave Jihoon a smug look. “Plus, unless Hwang is some kind of a pervert, I doubt there will be camera’s in there.”

Jihoon ran his fingers against his chin, leaving black streaks of oil as he considered. “You know, that’s not a half bad plan. How the fuck am I supposed to get out of there without setting off alarms, though?”

“Well, you still haven’t told me exactly what’s happening, Hyung… Where’s the party going to be focused?”

He sighed. “The main floor. Partially in the dining hall, but mostly the ballroom.”

“The have a ballroom?” He gaped.

“Yeah, Chan. They’re filthy rich, can we get over it? Basically, I need to figure out where the little miss of the house is going to be when I get there. If I can get to her before anybody else see’s me, the plan should go without a hitch.” He pointed to an upper floor. “Here’s her bedroom, so she’ll likely take this path when she makes her entrance.”

“But what are you gonna do? I still don’t get how scaring the shit out of Hwang’s daughter is gonna help us.”

Jihoon smirked, running a hand along the screen, where Hwang’s daughter was pictured. “Lets just say, by the time I’m done with her, Hwang won’t be saying mansae.”

~

Seungcheol pulled his bowtie up to his neck, staring into the mirror with a frown as he inspected his appearance. This time around, he was playing his proper role in this whole dumb ordeal, as a bodyguard. Which, in hindsight, should be a good thing, since it meant he could avoid another awkward set-up by Mr. Hwang and his vexing young daughter.

On the other hand, it also meant he wouldn’t be able to mingle with _any_ of the guests. God, _and_ he had to wear these douchey sunglasses at all times, to top it all off. He let out a sigh as he ran his hand along the fabric of his suit jacket, mind wandering back to the feeling of soft skin against his palm.

He shouldn’t even be thinking about it, really. What he should be doing, is focusing on the fact that the Vulcan was likely going to show up uninvited tonight. He had to, that bastard hadn’t shown his face at any of the other event’s they’d assumed he might crash. The public Q&A, the meeting with Hwang’s important business associates, that rude son of a bitch hadn’t even so much as dropped by. It was frustrating, partially because it left everyone in the city on edge, but mostly because until that asshole decides to show up, Seungcheol was stuck playing dress-up with the Hwang's.

He’d never _honestly_ wish the Vulcan would show up, that would be sick. People’s lives are at stake here, but…. Damn, couldn’t that guy just get this thing over with?

A knock against Seungcheol’s changing-room door tugged him out of his relentless grumbling, straightening up and continuing to idly fuss with his tie. “Come in.”

“Sergeant, I have the status report for tonight’s mission.” Jisoo entered carrying a clipboard of papers, smiling kindly as he approached.

“Okay, shoot.”

“The party will begin at 5:00pm, but guests are expected to start arriving as early as 4:00, and you are expected to be there well before. Mr. Hwang has requested you come at 12:00 at the latest.”

Seungcheol let out a frustrated breath. For what ungodly reason did he need him there 5 hours before the fucking party? “Fine, what else should I know?”

He gave Seungcheol a slightly pitying look, flipping his page over. “Because this is the day our research team has deducted the Vulcan is most likely to strike, we are sending in our best members of the security team to act as Mr. Hwang’s staff. We have also set up hidden cameras throughout every inch of the property, and we have backup on call in case things go awry.” Jisoo lifted his hand, grinning. “Tonight’s the night we catch the Vulcan, I can feel it!”

Tentatively, Seungcheol gave his consultant a light high-five. “Right.”

“Oh, Sergeant, you-“

“Just call me Seungcheol for now, Jisoo.”

He cleared his throat, smile holding. “Of course, Seungcheol. You should have more confidence in yourself! This time the plan to catch him is full-proof. With our great Sergeant Coups leading the Calvary, what could go wrong?”

Seungcheol chuckled. Sure, who’s to say 48th time isn’t the charm? “Thanks for the pep-talk, Jisoo. Anything else I should know?”

“Yes, well, you see… I’ve been informed to advise you on a change of attack method.”

“Huh?”

Jisoo flailed, shaking his hands in denial. “Not that your methods aren’t _superb,_ Seungcheol. It’s just… The research team has a thesis which they would like you to put to play.”

Seungcheol raised an eyebrow, doubtful. “Well, what is it?”

“You see, during your last fight the media televised a large portion of the action, and they’ve noticed a pattern in the Vulcans defensiVe strategies.” He turned his clipboard towards Seungcheol. “See, every time you attack, the Vulcan puts specific parts of himself at risk. Retractable arms, legs, other bits which we don’t know the purpose of. The team thinks he does this to protect the main limbs. Here, see?”

Seungcheol leaned forward, staring at the highlighted arms and legs with a quizzical expression. Looking back, that did actually make sense. He'd always sort of just assumed any damage to the Vulcan was progress, not really caring which arm he tore off in the long-run.

“If tonight our deductions are correct, and you and the Vulcan fight... I’d advise that you ignore the extra legs, and go straight for his vital parts.”

Seungcheol nodded. “You got it, boss. I won’t let him slink away this time around, that’s for sure.”

Jisoo smirked. “Break a leg out there, Sergeant.”

~

Jihoon had never felt claustrophobic in his life. It was an unrealistic fear, seeing as he spent the majority of his career lying underneath giant robots, crawling through sewers, and curling up inside the chest of the Vulcan for indefinite periods of time. He was a lucky man for being born without that kind of a flaw, otherwise this very moment would be absolutely traumatic. It was a tight squeeze through the pipes, and finding his way through this fucking labyrinth of nasty sewage was proving itself to be a bitch.

At the point where the pipes became too tiny for the Vulcan to shove it’s 8-foot ass through, Jihoon triggered the drill in his hand, puncturing above him in such a manner as to not disrupt the workings of Hwang’s water system. If suddenly the sinks stopped working 5 hours before the party, Jihoon would be a deer in the headlights getting dug up by the maintenance crew.

He felt absolutely devilish for being this far ahead of the game. The quirks that came with having his personal identity separate from his villainous one were infinite. Only he would be able to-despite everyone expecting him to show up tonight-make his entrance a surprise.

He supposed this was partially thanks to that Mr. Park guy, though.

Jihoon drilled his way up to the main garden fountain, creating a tunnel which stopped just before the concrete of it’s base. Exit point No. 1, in case the conflict ends up outside.

It hadn’t really been the plan to cozy up to a tall, dark… dare he say ‘handsome’, stranger that night. He’d actually brought a bug with him. It wouldn’t be simple, but he’d imagined bumping into Hwang on the dance floor and sticking the thing to the lapel of his suit would be suitable for listening in until an opportunity presented itself. But… Well, seeing that guy walk away from Hwang looking on the verge of committing murder, gave Jihoon a better idea.

And really, he shouldn’t have talked to anyone at that party, but fuck was he glad he had. Getting information off of a guy with a sense of humor wasn’t completely unbearable, and it had given him everything they needed to make this a success. Plus, it wasn’t like he was actually going to meet Mr. Park again.

If they did meet, Jihoon had a feeling he wouldn’t be recognized past the whole giant metal suit thing.

The rest of the pre-planning went without a hitch. Three exit points were prepared: One beneath the basement, the fountain, and the main pool.

The main floor guest bathroom was, luckily, not blocked by the basement. Jihoon burrowed his way into the fountain with expert precision, creating a large hole through the bottom and hooking onto the circular plate of concrete as he crawled up into the statue. Once he was inside, the plate before him was pulled up and sealed back in place. He needed to pinpoint exactly where the little miss was hiding, but that would require a bit of hacking.

Luckily Jihoon still had 2 hours before the party began, and that was plenty of time to set up camp.

At 4:32pm, everything had been put into place. Jihoon twisted around where he sat, popping away a kink in his neck as he stretched as far as the confinements of the suit would allow. He wasn’t used to being in this thing for so long, it was on the verge of being painful.

After hacking into the wifi, the rest was simple. Hwang was a rich, cautious bastard, but he was also stupid. Jihoon had assumed his surveillance system would be on the IP system, so with a simple scan, and a quick search into Hwang’s computer history (which he will not be getting into the disgusting details of) Jihoon had found the exact model number of the camera’s he’d purchased. They had installed new ones recently, it would seem. A few more simple steps and scans, and Jihoon was left with full access to every single camera Hwang had set up. Here he could see staff routes, what Hwang was up to, where the guests were, etc. It turned out Dino had been wrong about there not being a camera in the bathroom, that nasty old man. It allowed him to see who was entering the bathroom, he supposed, but most importantly… he saw the little miss.

Jihoon coughed, feeling his face flush slightly as he turned away from the screen, giving the girl a little privacy while she changed into her party gown. He wasn’t a pervert, it wasn’t _his_ fault there was a camera in-what seemed to be-her changing room... Wasn’t Eunha only turning 19 today? It must have been her daddy dearest who set this one up, that fucking pedophile.

He peeked quickly first, letting out a relieved breath to see that she was decent, now talking to one of her bodyguards through the door. There was no use in hacking into the audio this time around, although being stuck here, he couldn't help but have his curiosity peaked by what he was watching. Body guards shouldn’t be allowed to enter her dressing room, should they? Wasn’t that a little too personal?

The man who had entered was moderately tall, in a dark suit, and some square-ish sunglasses which blocked Jihoon from getting a proper look at his face. What kind of a douche wears sunglasses inside? Was that his uniform or some shit? Despite this, Jihoon found himself drawn to the two as they conversed. Eunha was smiling brightly, cozying up to the man in black in a flirtatious manner, brushing against him, pushing her breasts together to entice him. Mr. stoic looked hardly interested, but that could just be because he was working.

Interesting… Could it be that Eunha was in a relationship with her bodyguard? Jihoon took a screenshot on the picture before him, in case the information would come in handy later.

~

“Mr. Hwang asked me to walk you down, Eunha. We should go.”

Seungcheol felt himself growing increasingly agitated as Eunha held his bicep against her chest, smiling up with big brown eyes. Jesus, when was this girl going to get the hint?

“Mr. Park, before we go down… Could I ask something of you?”

He suppressed a sigh, leaving his face blank as a good bodyguard should. “Feel free.”

Eunha let go of Seungcheol’s arm, her flirtatious smile twitching into a frown as she stared down at the floor. “Today… promise me you won’t leave me alone.”

“It’s my job to protect you and your father, Eunha. I won’t let either of you get hurt.”

Eunha fell silent for a moment, a deliberating look behind shaking eyes.“But, the thing is, I overheard my father talking…” She looked up at him again, finally. “Promise me you won’t tell him I told you this."

It wasn’t his job to share secrets with Eunha, however… he had been suspicious of Mr. Hwang for a long time now. “Cross my heart.” He did the motion across his chest, watching curiously as Eunha let out a breath of relief.

“My father is… He’s using me as bait tonight... I eavesdropped on his business meeting last night, he… he said.” Eunha shuddered, tears threatening to spill over as she spoke. “Th-they’re going to put me on a hook and-and dangle me in front of the Vulcan until he shows… That's what my father said. Hi-his exact words..”

Seungcheol gaped, taken back. “I’m sure he didn’t mean…”

“It’s true!” Eunha covered her face, feeling embarrassed. “I didn’t want to have my birthday party today, he insisted… All the information on this party was leaked online, and… God, I just can’t shake the feeling it was my father who put it there…” She wiped her eye, careful not to smear her makeup as she stared up at Seungcheol, pleading. “I’m so scared, Mr. Park… I just, I need you to promise me you won’t leave my side.”

Seungcheol felt his blood boiling, barely managing to suppress his need to soar through the walls and pummel Mr. Hwang into the floor. Unfortunately, that was going to have to wait until the Vulcan was dead in his hands, first. He put a comforting hold on Eunha’s shoulder, expression serious. “As long as I’m here, I won’t let the Vulcan lay a finger on you. I swear on it.”

She smiled, sniffing. “Thank you, I don’t know how I could repay you.”

“Your safety is all I wish for. No thanks necessary.”

Seungcheol followed close behind Eunha as she made her way down the grand staircase, smiling towards her father and her guests as if she hadn’t broken down just moments before. He felt awful, for having misjudged her before. Hwang must have told her to flirt with him for some other horrible scheme, how disgusting. It was all for his benefit, wasn’t it? Helping Mansae, the public announcements… Seungcheol had always gotten a bitter taste in his mouth from talking to him, but he hadn’t imagined it would be this bad.

Unfortunately for him, Seungcheol wasn’t going to step aside and allow Hwang to have his way. Not a fucking chance.

He stuck close by as Eunha chatted with party-goers, conveniently ‘not noticing' Hwang’s gestures for him to approach. Eventually, the man ceased his relentless arm flailing, walking over to talk to Seungcheol for himself.

Hwang cleared his throat. “Mr. park, a word?”

“Certainly.”

After Seungcheol hadn’t made move to follow him, Hwang’s annoyance was prevalent by the twitching of his eyebrows. “In private, now.”

Eunha exchanged a look with him, eyes wide.

“Ms. Hwang, I’ll keep you in my eye-line, so please wait here a moment.”

She hesitated, but eventually nodded. Seungcheol was glad that she trusted him, he wasn’t going to go far enough to put her in danger... He only needed to make it very clear to Hwang, that tonight was not going to run by his rules.

They stopped, a few feet out of the crowd for their chat. “Yes, sir?”

He smiled, one of the greasiest, most disgusting excuses of sincerity he had ever laid eyes on. “Mr. park, I have to ask that you don’t hover over my dear Eunha all night. It’s making the other guests feel uncomfortable. I want you to patrol the area outside, instead."

“No can do, sir. I Strongly believe Eunha’s safety is more important than the comfort of your guests, Mr. Hwang.”

Hwang’s smile dropped, the vein against his forehead threatening to burst. “Might I remind you that I’m paying you? You’re under my orders, Mr. Park. Or should I say S-“

Seungcheol held a hand over his mouth, silencing the man into a squeak of surprise as the grip around his jaw tightened. Seungcheol peered down at him, expression darkening into a threatening message behind his eyes, which now shun through the tint of his sunglasses, a chilling blue.

With a twitch of his fingers, Hwang’s jaw would become dust in his grip. It was that simple, and judging by the color draining from the man’s face, it had gotten across without fail. Seungcheol leaned in, smiling.

“Don't pay me. Your money is filthy, anyways.”

With that, he released him, leaving Hwang to gasp in air as he held a hand to the sore part around his jaw. Seungcheol returned to Eunha’s side, nodding to her with a smile as if to reassure her.

The party continued without a hitch. Hwang had been successfully scared shitless, and did his very best to stay out of Seungcheol’s way for the remainder of the night. Eunha seemed to relax as well, enough to properly ask Seungcheol to dance with her again. He didn’t refuse, seeing as there were no ulterior motives behind it this time around. Seungcheol, however, couldn’t shake the sickly feeling in his gut.

It was 7:00pm now… If the Vulcan was going to show up, shouldn’t he have done it by now?

“Mr. Park?” Eunha tugged at his sleeve, looking away with an embarrassed expression. I, uhm… I need to use the washroom.”

Seungcheol nodded, unfazed as he followed her.

“Can you wait outside the door?”

“Of course, I’ll be right here.”

Eunha felt her heart skipping as Park’s cold expression had melted into a comforting smile. Did that man realize how handsome he was? She could have sworn he was oblivious.

After taking care of her business, Eunha leaned against the sink, taking deep breaths as she stared into their elaborate, stupid excuse of a mirror. A ginormous mermaid statue, which held a mirror forward with hands the size of two heads, and spat water from her mouth for people to wash their hands.

This whole room gave her chills. Eunha had always had a strange feeling about the 10-foot, naked creature her father had built in the center of the bathroom… Although the hair was longer… She always sort of felt like the statue looked like her.

Eunha stared into the eyes of the statue, gulping under the odd sensation that she was being watched.

It was okay, she had to remind herself… As long as Mr. Park was here to protect her, everything was going to be okay.

She took a deep breath, shutting her eyes. When she had deemed herself relaxed enough to go back out there and enjoy the rest of the night, she sighed through a forced smile, staring into the gaze of the mermaid with a determined look.

It took her a moment to realize the statue had begun to crack.


	4. An Arm and a Leg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This wasn't really... according to plan.

Warning!: This chapter contains material that could be potentially triggering. (E.G. violence, mentions of abuse, mentions of pedophilia)

Chapter 4: An Arm and A Leg

Jihoon lulled in and out of consciousness, succumbing slowly to the impending drowsiness which came from staring into the low-light of the monitors, shrouded in silence. He’d been watching security footage for hours now, observing mundanely as Eunha pranced along the ballroom floor, guided and protected by that stubborn bodyguard. He had no doubt in his mind now. Walking into her private dressing-room, conversing so intimately, dancing together? None of this was standard ‘body-guard’ protocol, there was something else there. Jihoon wasn’t sure what exactly he should do with this information, but he supposed any potential dirt he had on the family would be valuable. If his current plan turns out to be a bust, this could be a something to fall back on.

As much as being forced to watch the two ogle over each other was just _thrilling,_ they had been at it the whole goddamn night. Mr. tall, dark, and persistent was a sticky bastard, hanging off of the little ‘miss like a dog on a leash, and leaving zero room for him to squeeze in.

This also meant that Jihoon was left crumpled into a stiff ball, hiding inside this fucking statue, until either the bastard in black took a break, or he ended up fed-up enough to blow off the entire plan and jump out there guns-a-blazing.

Unfortunately for the relentless cramping and kinking of his poor, immobile limbs, Jihoon was too cautious for something as stupid as that. He was, as well, sort of exhausted. No matter how many times he slapped himself across the face and pinched at his skin, his eyes continued to betray his will, fluttering closed every now and again.

The time read 7:00pm, he had been here for 7 hours for god’s sake. It was getting to the point where he regretted this whole dumb idea. One more wretched foot cramp, and he was digging himself right out the way he came, and revising the fucking plan. Back to the drawing board!

Jihoon sighed, resting his chin against his palm with a half-lidded stare. Eunha and her beloved ‘bodyguard’ had just finished waltzing, and were now making dull conversation with guests. Boring, boring, so fucking boring… She pulled at his sleeve, whispering, and then they began to walk together. Where could they be going, he wondered. To the punch table for some more refreshments? To find somewhere with some privacy, so that Jihoon may-along with being forced to observe their flirting the past 7 hours- will also be forced to watch them fuck like mindless dogs? Knowing his luck, that was probably the case… No, it was almost certainly that, as Jihoon quickly realized that the pair was headed towards the bathroom, the very bathroom Jihoon was currently cursing the world from within.

He pulled himself out of exhaustion immediately, pupils blown wide as he followed their approach on the monitor. Whether they were going together to do the dance without pants in the bathroom or not was important, so when shady McSunglasses took post right outside the door, Jihoon made an internal cheer of celebration, holding back the urge to immediately burst free from this porcelain prison. He couldn’t, not quite yet.

He kept an eye on Mr. persistent outside the door while Eunha finished up her business. The last thing he needed was the poor girl pissing herself before the plan even set itself into motion. She walked up to the statue, staring just below the camera into-what Jihoon assumed-was a mirror. His pulse was racing in anticipation, feeling as though time was slowing down as Eunha’s eyes flicked up, staring straight through the camera at Jihoon. She shut her eyes, and Jihoon took a breath, preparing himself.

With a single jolt of the controls, The Vulcan’s arm had cut through the statue, wrapping around Eunha’s petite frame until her limbs were completely immobile, hovering above the air, and staring wide-eyed into the Vulcans emotionless face display with an undignified squeak.

He had to move quickly. Before Eunha could begin screaming her head off like a child, he had blasted through the walls. Marble stone and granite shattered like glass when the Vulcan pushed through it, holding Eunha slightly behind it’s torso to avoid scratching her up with falling shards of tile. No point in injuring her when she was simply a showpiece.

There was one thing he was sure of, and that was that somewhere on the property, among the staff and guests, was Sergeant Spanx. Knowing MANSAE, he likely wasn’t the only super-asshole in here. It was safe to assume Hwang had assigned them to protect him specifically, which was perfect for him. After his research the past few weeks, an interesting discovery had been made. One that nobody else would be able to figure out without Jihoon’s level of observational skill… The subtle signs he’d taken from body language, the way they spoke, their facial expressions, they all led him to one daunting conclusion. And with the help of the little miss, Jihoon was going to tell the world.

Hopefully, before that buns for brains superhero made his move.

He zipped through the walls in a fashion as to throw-off anyone following the noise, utilizing his knowledge of the buildings layout to his advantage as he beamed down corridors, through walls, until finally-

He crouched down in the room, just outside the main ballroom. The girls screaming was wretched, so as he set himself behind the curtain of the stage, he took it upon himself to silence the noise; extending a retractable arm, and stuffing her mouth full with the nozzle of a gun. Her body seized, mascara falling down her face in grimy streaks as she stared cross-eyed into the barrel of the weapon. He thumbed the hammer, the click echoing within the hallow of her mouth as a warning.

“Stay still, do as I say, and I won’t kill you.” He stated simply, voice coming in a buzzed whisper, low and grainy.

She stared up at him, eyes wide and watery. Under the serious impression of his metal gaze, her struggling had ceased, and quickly, she nodded. Though annoying, at least she seemed to be smart.

He took a breath, shielding the girl with a forearm as he made one final break in the buildings foundation; shooting through the wall and standing tall before the crowd.

Gasping, blood curdling screams, the whites of eyes revealed under the shock of recoiling eyelids. It was a sight Jihoon admired with a smirk, hidden behind his robotic visage. Their fear was something to be expected, seeing as he had just broken through a marble wall, holding a gun against the back of the birthday girl’s mouth. Nonetheless, watching them lose composure was undeniably satisfying.

“Quite the party, Mr. Hwang. My invitation must have gotten lost in the mail, I suppose.” His voice box glitched, pitch rising and falling eerily as he spoke.

From among the terrified guests, Mr. Hwang had stepped forward. A bit less horrified than Jihoon had expected him to be, but he supposed considering what he was, he shouldn’t be too shocked.

“Vulcan, why am I not surprised?”

“That’s a very good question, Mr. Hwang.” His arm rose, suspending Eunha higher for all to see, an arm emerging from his lower left to stoke cool metal against her cheek. She shuddered, whining. “Certainly, you haven’t forgotten your promise, yes?”

The crowd looked towards Hwang, who let out an awkward chuckle under the accusation. “I haven’t promised you anything, Vulcan. What’s your game?”

“My game?” He chuckled, low and buzzing from the filter against his throat. He laughed without a shred of amusement, monotone and eerie, so that Hwang understood that Jihoon found no amusement in the situation. “This isn’t a game, Hwang. I don’t play _games_. It seems as though you’re getting old. Your memory’s a bit blank, huh? Because, I quite clearly remember you saying you would find me. It was all over the news, in fact.” He twisted the gun toyfully, causing Eunha to gag. “Well, here I am. Now what?”

Hwang released a fit of nervous laughter, sweating visibly. “Y-you think that scares me? You can’t lay a finger on me, Vulcan! Just try it.”

He appeared to be confident, but more importantly, he didn’t seem to care at all that the Vulcan was choking his daughter with a gun. Jihoon felt himself growing ill as he peered down at the man. Judging by his disgusting smirk, it would seem he may actually be finding enjoyment in seeing Eunha like this. He pulled back a bit, giving her time to breath. He was certain now.

Jihoon took a quick look around with his uppermost camera. The superhero’s had been ordered to protect Hwang, definetly. Looking around where he stood, there were staff members stationed within a perimeter of him, looking conveniently less terrified than the rest. “Now, why would I want to lay a finger on you? I don’t like to get my hands dirty, hwang.”

“Dirty?” he spat as he spoke, offended.

“Yes, _Dirty_. Your money, your company, your morals, they’re all filthy. I wouldn’t touch them with a ten foot pole, let alone with my own two hands. You understand what I’m talking about, don’t you?”

Mr. Hwang looked around, nervous under the whispers of his party guests. “What kind of bullshit are you spewing? You’re a criminal, the worst of the worst! If anyone’s dirty, it’s you, Vulcan Thief.”

“Ha, I suppose you’re right.” He chuckled, warbled beeping sounding as he adjusted his hold on Eunha, allowing her to rest more comfortably in his grip. “I am dirty, and I know a fellow piece filth when I see one.”

Hwang stuttered, forehead sheen with sweat. “Just what are you trying to say? I’m nothing like you!”

“Really? You think so?” The Vulcan pulled the gun from her mouth, holding it against Eunha’s temple. The hand that had been brushing her hair stopped. “Would you care to explain this, then?”

His hand lowered from Eunha’s face, gripping gently at the end of her skirt and pulling up. The girl struggled out of embarrassment, shutting her eyes. Confusion settled into gasps of horror as Jihoon revealed dark bruising along her thighs, trailing up. He stopped there, for the sake of her dignity, but Hwang seemed to get the point.

He stuttered, mouth bumbling, and bright red. The camera’s of nosy party-goers had already captured the moment, so he began to struggle for an excuse. “Y-you, What did you do to my dear Eunha! You must have… have beat her!”

The Vulcan looked straight at Hwang as he spoke, explaining matter-of-factly. “These bruises are a yellowish tone, meaning they are approximately a week old, so it couldn’t have been me. I've noticed that Eunha has always worn long skirts, and modest clothing. She’s young, you’d think she’d want to join in on the fashion of todays teens, wouldn’t you? I always knew she was hiding something.”

“That-That’s”

“Not to mention the way you talk about her to the press. You always mention her beauty, never her interests or her achievements. I looked into it, and, your wife is dead.. isn’t she? I can see now that Eunha resembles her very closely. So, tell me Hwang, explain to your guests why you _Arent_ filth.”

Hwang struggle to find his words, the collar of his suit threatening to burst under the anger he’d been building up. After a brief mumbling of nonsense, he snapped, turning every which direction in a desperate plea. “Sergeant! Come out and do your job! Kill this basta-“

In a blink, Hwang was against a wall, wheezing and clutching his stomach. Jihoon blinked curiously. Eunha’s bodyguard?

“Put her down…”

The bodyguard turned to the Vulcan, his fists clenched. Through the tint of his sunglasses, Jihoon could make out starkly, a cool blue glow piercing into him. Jihoon took a step back upon realizing “Don’t tell me… Captain underwear, you’ve been playing bodyguard?... Not that I care, but Isn’t it a bit unprofessional to knock the lungs out of your client?”

He expected the usual retort, some camera-friendly pregame bantering, his academy award winning grin. But, the sergeant was glaring, the black of his hair transforming into it's trademark silver sheen in a flash of light.

“Did you not hear me? I said put her down, before I fucking kill you.” He pulled off his sunglasses, tossing them to the floor in anger.

Did this mean... Sergeant Coups was dating Eunha Hwang? What an interesting development. He twirled the barrel of the gun against her skin, appearing unfazed by the threat. “It’s unusual for you to swear, Sergeant Spandex. Did MANSAE loosen your leash? Or have you simply given up on keeping that PG persona?”

Jihoon could see even from afar, how the Sergeants shoulders were trembling. Not from fear, Jihoon knew all too clearly how little his presence affected him. He was angry, so angry that surges of power were beginning to lift strands of his silver hair, reminiscent of a gentle brush of wind. The ground was quaking under his stance, enough that Jihoon could feel patterns of vibration through layers of steel armor.

He stared up into the Vulcan, breaking the tie from his neck with a gesture that appeared to be nothing, a gentle tug, yet the fabric was in pieces by his feet. He continued with the rest of the suit, slowly, never taking his eyes off Jihoon. If not for the very apparent anger, and the bright spandex suit underneath, Jihoon might have been turned on.

He wasn’t, though. He felt chills; a nervous pooling at his gut as he sucked in a daunting realization.

He had never, not once, out of the many times they had fought, seen Sergeant this angry. It was actually… a bit intimidation. Jihoon had a frightening feeling that if he didn’t get out of here soon, he might actually end up with some bruises. He had to think of a plan, quick. Something to distract Coups, long enough that he may escape through the outside exit-route.

“Drop her, Vulcan. I won’t ask you again.” He was practically growling through his words, stepping closer despite Jihoon holding a gun to Eunha’s head. It was very possible that he saw through this empty threat, which left Jihoon feeling rather wary.

Given the circumstance, he supposed he really did have to just… drop everything and run. “Yes, sir.”

In a blink, the Vulcans arms had uncoiled around Eunha in a violent motion, consequently whipping her across the room. The Sergeant moved to catch her immediately, giving Jihoon the chance he needed to book it the fuck out of there. Without another thought, Vulcan had ricocheted off a tiled floor, leaving a crater of shattered platforms as he crashed through an overhead window.

He had to move quickly. In this state, who knows what kind of damage the Sergeant could do. He couldn't stay and fight. He had no money left from the last heist… If the suit gets damaged, he’s beyond screwed.

The Vulcan soared, aiming for the fountain with every ounce of it’s power. He reached forward mid-air, Just brushing the spray of water with eager, metal fingertips, before a hand had caught his leg, launching him in the opposite direction with death-defying velocity.

The blow was hard enough to wind him for a moment, contact to concrete approaching faster than the emergency crash features could activate. By the time the system had stabilized, Sergeant was on top of him, staring down with icy blue eyes with a hand pressing dents into the titanium around the robot’s throat. Jihoon watched the wall’s around his head concave, panicking with controls in an attempt to throw the superhero off.

Despite the nervous thudding of his heart, he managed to snake an arm around the superhero’s wrist, whipping the limb and shooting Sergeant off of his torso. He had to take advantage of every, and any opening he could create. As long as he could throw off Sergeant, even for a second, maybe he cou-

He turned to his hand as the system sent a warning of damaging pressure to the screen. General jockstrap should have been thrown yards away, yet there he was, crushing the robot’s hand with a single fist.

“Not this time, Vulcan. I’m not falling for your gimmicks anymore.” He floated forward, staring straight through the robot’s camera, and into Jihoon. “Today, you’re mine.”

In a motion the arm had been torn off, thrown to the side like a crumpled ball of trash. When he was on him again, Jihoon faced off against him, breathing hard. He needed to focus, calm down and fight properly. As long as he threw his disposable limbs forward, he should be able to buy enough time to figure out a plan. Jihoon threw a punch from his lower-left, hoping to satisfy the superhero’s destructive needs with expendable distractions, knowing well the sergeant would destroy the limb with ease.

Against all that he knew, Sergeant had dodged the attack, moving in such a fashion as to anchor his feet against his torso, with his arm in hand…. His main arm.

“Stop!” Jihoon panicked, screaming through the mic as he fumbled with controls. Despite all efforts, the Sergeant had ripped the arm apart at the seams, twisting the limb into oblivion as he glowered into the camera.

“Stop? I’m just getting started.”

Jihoon bounded away in an attempt to flee, heart thudding as the chamber within the Vulcan began to blare warning messages, alert sounds, glowing an eerie red against his pale skin. Sergeant was on him again before he even had a chance to breath, throwing fists into the armor of his chest mercilessly.

**DAMAGE REACHING CRITICAL LEVELS**

**30% UNTIL SYSTEM FAILURE**

Jihoonchoked out a cry. Despite the numerous layers of protective metal armor, the Sergeants beating had begun to indent the inner workings of the suit, pushing a frame of metal into Jihoon’s gut painfully. He struggled to hold his own, mind unhinging as the superhero dodged every attack with ease.

Fuck, this was not looking good.

**23% UNTIL SYSTEM FAILURE**

Using the only other good arm he had left, the Vulcan slammed a fore-arm into the hero, knocking him off. Not with enough force to damage him, but at least he had a chance. In a blink he’d launched into the air, whipping the camera around in search of an opportunity. Fuck, there was nothing, not within miles of here.

“Enough running away, Vulcan!”

The Sergeant was coming down at him with a piercing expression, grabbing hold of his main right leg and shooting him towards the earth like a boomerang. He crashed facing up, squinting through a wave of dizziness as he realized the leg had been ripped off, held tauntingly by Sergeant Coups as flew down from the skies. Below him, the floor had crumbled, a crater forming against his back.

**10% UNTIL SYSTEM FAILURE**

Sergeant held the Vulcan down by the shoulders, huffing with a breathless expression as he came down from the high of battle. “There’s nowhere to run, Vulcan. It’s over! If you don’t power down and show yourself, I’ll rip you out myself.”

Despite feeling on the verge of a concussion, Jihoon took a moment to look away from the Sergeant’s cold gaze, paying more attention to the water droplets blurring his view on the camera, and the overhead spray of mist. He had… landed on the fountain? Maybe there really was an angel watching over him.

The sergeant slammed a fist against the stomach of the Vulcan, running tremors of pulsations through it’s core. Jihoon gasped, a dented frame stabbing into his stomach painfully.

**6% UNTIL SYSTEM FAILURE**

“Answer me, you bastard!”

He had no choice… It was this, or jail... Or death. Using the very last of the Vulcans power, Jihoon began to press buttons in preparation, racing against the clock as the countdown until System failure loomed down on him. He sucked in a breath, pressing one final, red button, encased in glass.

**3% UNTIL SYSTEM FAILURE**

Upon activation of the emergency exit, Jihoon was booted from the robot through it;s back, blindly tumbling down the steep, dark tunnel he had dug from before. The Vulcan, acting automatically with the remainder of it’s energy, kicked off from the fountain with the only leg it had left, collapsing the entrance to the escape-tunnel, and sending Sergeant Stupid-head far from it.

The hole was steep, enough so that rather than running, Jihoon was left falling down the rabbit hole in a panicked daze. There was no way to stabilize the fall, and after a thorough knock against his skull, Jihoon was out cold.

~

“Enough of this!” Seungcheol threw the robot off of him, taking the dominant stance and holding his fist above its head; fully intent on Killing whatever asshole was inside.

**“MAXIMUM DAMAGE LEVELS REACHED. SHUTTING DO** **W** **N….** **”**

He froze, watching intently as the lights, sounds, all the signs of living began to fade in the robot, leaving a cold, dead shell beneath him.

Did this mean… he won? Seungcheol’s heart was beating fast under his remaining adrenaline, staring down into empty black eyes with an odd sensation pooling in his gut. Was this what true achievement felt like?

His earpiece beeped, and Seungcheol pressed into the button on the mic, careful not to crush it. “Sergeant Coups reporting. Supervillain status offender, Vulcan Thief, in custody. Requesting backup for detainment.”

In minutes, they were there. All the staff had been watching from around the property anyway, so it was a quick process.

After ensuring the robot was indeed, shut down, the authorities got to work prying it open to retrieve the person within. Today was the day he would stare into the eyes of his mortal enemy.. The man he’d been fighting all this time, hidden behind a cold robotic mask. After their history, of course he was curious. What kind of an ugly, bitter bastard could have caused such chaos for so long?

The staff wedged a mechanical, prying apparatus in what they found to be the entrance of the suit, cranking it open slowly. Seungcheol leaned forward, gulping as the space within was inspected.

“Huh? That’s odd…” The worker scratched his scalp, leaning closer to search within the machine, twisting the flashlight around cautiously.

“What? What is it?”

The worker looked up at Seungcheol, feeling nervous under the desperation in his eyes. “It’s empty, Sergeant.” He moved aside, illuminating a vacant operating seat against the dull glow of his flashlight. “He’s gone.”

~

Jisoo stood beside Seungcheol’s desk with a sympathetic smile, offering a mug. “Your coffee, Seungcheol.”

“Thanks…” He stared into the mug blankly, eyeing the black liquid with a near lifeless expression.

“I know you’re feeling down, but you really shouldn’t… This is the closest we’ve ever gotten to stopping him, thanks to you!” He said nothing, frowning. Jisoo sighed. “Seungcheol, our only loss is that we didn’t catch the Vulcan. We have his suit! That’s huge, and it’s only a matter of time before the research team finds some of his DNA. Plus…. Hwang! You put a pedophile in jail, _and_ saved Eunha’s life! Isn’t that something to celebrate?”

Seungcheol ran a finger along the handle of the mug, feeling his mind haze over with an bitter taste. “I didn’t… I didn’t even know… If anything, it was the Vulcan. That bastard is the real reason Hwang’s in jail.” Seungcheol looked up at Jisoo finally, eyebrows furrowed. “Do I even deserve to call myself a hero? I just work for the people who pay me, carrying out their bidding. Who knows, all my clients could have been criminals! God, I’m just… a fool.”

“Don’t say that, Sergeant… Nobody could have known. But that doesn’t matter, you did the right thing in the end! The whole city is praising your efforts, Seungcheol, see?” He held his phone out, displaying the headline of the news with a smile.

‘ _Sergeant Coups Serves a Slice of Justice at Corporate Birthday’. Defeating criminals, catching pedophiles, what can’t he do? Late last eve-_

God, what a load of crap. “Jisoo, I'd like to be alone for a while. You're dismissed for the day.”

“But Seu-“

“Please…” He pushed a finger against his temple, letting out a breath. “Just go.”

Jisoo sucked in his pride and left without another word, collecting his papers from the desk and shutting the door behind him. He was Seungcheol’s advisor, not his friend. He had to remind himself that… although, seeing him blame himself for such a thing was difficult to bear silently. Seungcheol had done so much for this city… For the world! Yet he still acted as if it wasn’t enough.

He was too hard on himself, it really made Jisoo want to cross over onto the friend-side of this arrangement and take emotional action. He was a professional, though. He would handle this issue as any good advisor should, by supporting Seungcheol behind the scenes.

Jisoo made his way through the halls, down elevators, entering through the research facility purposefully. He stood before a man in a white lab coat, clearing his throat. “How’s the forensic process coming along?”

He looked up with a frown, eyes large, a gentle brown tone. “Nothing yet, unfortunately. I’ll let you know as soon as I find something though, Mr. Hong.”

Jisoo huffed. “Yes, thank you. I’ll let you work, then.”

The scientist watched him leave with a smile, waiting, until Mr. Hong was out the doors, and out of sight. He stepped into his office quickly, locking the door behind him as he got to work at his desk.

Within a small plastic bag, held a single, short strand of black hair he had picked out from within the Vulcan’s suit. Holding the strand with tweezers, he placed the evidence carefully onto a scanner, watching with a gulp as a beam of green light ran along the hair.

The DNA ran through millions, billions of results from within the computer’s database. If the Vulcan had any kind of registration with the government, that little strand of hair was all he needed to discover his identity.

Within minutes of cross-comparisons with the thousands of similar DNA results, a single name remained on the screen.

He chuckled, amused, as he ran his hand along the profile. Pictured before him was a child, chubby cheeked, and grinning. The idea alone was enough to make him laugh… This cute little guy was the Vulcan? The metal god of death and destruction, feared by all who knew him, was this?

Lee Jihoon, born November 22nd, 1996, registered as an orphan with Jung Ara, at the age of 3.

He smirked, creating a separate copy of the information for his eyes only, before getting to work with his profile.

It didn’t take much, especially since his file was so outdated. After a series of code had been corrupted by his hand, he was able to cross-out all evidence of it. No matter what DNA they found in the robot, none of it would matter. They can scan hairs and fingernails all they wish.

Because now, Lee Jihoon no longer exists.


	5. Rise and Shine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evil never rests... Unless they get knocked in the head.

**Chapter 5: Rise and Shine**

It was to the cacophony of echoing drips, and the scurrying of sewage rats, that Jihoon awoke. Startled by fallen flicks of cold water against his face, he shot up from he’d been lying, eyes wide as they attempted to adjust to the darkness.

The world was spinning for a long time, a throbbing pain in his head sending his arms up to grasp at the dampness of his scalp. Even through the dullness of his vision, he could see blood against his palm; And, despite being overwhelmed so quickly after regaining consciousness, the pain in his leg followed promptly.

Jihoon choked out a cry. There was a sensation like a pounding heart against the strain in his foot. He couldn’t see it clearly, but he must have broken something… his ankle, probably. After taking that dumb risk yesterday, he supposed he was lucky to have escaped with such minor injuries. A concussion most definitely, cuts and bruises throughout, a sprained wrist, and his ankle was likely broken… After such a fall, it could have been worse.

Still, it hurt like a bitch.

He followed a thin stream of light cascading down from above with a hazy stare. It was the hole he’d fallen from, now blocked up by a precarious plug of concrete. There was no way to tell how long he’d been unconscious down here, but judging by the light, he could assume it had only been through the night. He hoped so, at least. The kids were probably worried sick, and it wouldn’t be long before the investigative crew discovered this, and the rest of the escape tunnels.

He hissed through clenched teeth, pushing himself up and balancing against a wall, leaving the presumable broken ankle folded in the air, and hopping along on the other. For now, he needed to find a place to safely exit.

He really needed to get back to the hideout…

Without the Vulcan’s map system to guide him, the sewer’s tunnels suddenly felt like an unfamiliar labyrinth. Dark, and damp, and smelling like pure shit.

He hated to admit it, since it was probably going to take an hour of limping through the darkness to find the next manhole… But, he’d never been down here without his suit before. Wearing the Vulcan, this place always felt so small, like driving through a tunnel in the nighttime, an almost soothing familiarity. It was nothing like that, now. Maybe it was the pain, or the headache, or the darkness… Maybe it was the cold chill, or just the fact that all this shit was piled together, but it was rather depressing.

After a proper failure, though, he could have been prancing along a beautiful flowery meadow in the springtime, and it still would have felt like hell. His body wasn’t the only part of him feeling the weight of this defeat…

Jihoon’s eyes squinted, the patter of his foot echoing down the dark tunnel as he trudged on blindly. He couldn’t sit still, though. If anyone found him feeling sorry for himself down here, it wasn’t going to end well. Especially if it ended up being Hwang’s maintenance crew. How would he explain this? Obviously they wouldn’t assume he was the Vulcan right away, but he hardly believed he could come up with a plausible excuse as to why he was hopping through the sewers. ‘Oh, I’m sorry officer! I just got lost on my way to work and fell through a freaking manhole! Care to show me the way to freedom?’

He chuckled unamusable to himself. It didn’t take a genius to know it wouldn’t be that easy.

By the time he reached a potential exit-point, his mobile leg was trembling. He hopped up the metal latter, which creaked precariously under what little weight he applied up his ascent. Reaching its peak, he pressed his ear against one of the small holes of the cover, listening. The floor rumbled slightly, and from the looks of it the manhole was on a neighborhood road. Likely not too far from Hwang’s house.

On the plus side, this wasn’t a busy neighborhood, so he’d be able to escape with little chance of getting hit by a car. Unfortunately, this also meant he was parked right onto snob-street. Surveillance was a bitch to avoid in places like these. Jihoon tugged the neck of his sweater up past his nose in hopes of concealing his identity. He ensured little noise awaited him before pushing away at the cover of the hole, and crawling out to freedom.

He wished he could just lie on the pavement right then and there and let himself melt under the heat of the sun, but there wasn’t any time for that. He held the fabric over his face, limping with purpose towards a wall of shrubbery for some coverage.

There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that MANSAE would be on the hunt for him soon. In fact, they may already have his face plastered over every single news channel and ad-board in the city. The Vulcans pilot cavity must be littered with his DNA, which meant they most likely already knew his face and name. This fucked his plans up significantly. He wasn’t going to be able to wander the city freely anymore, or use his regular persona as a disguise. Honestly, the only comfort he could reach for was knowing the hideout was still safe. He crossed his fingers that it was, anyways. The Vulcan should be completely useless in it’s current condition, and without power, there was no way to track the hideouts location using the navigation system.

The Vulcan had emergency features built in for scenarios just like this. In a situation where the Vulcan was destroyed badly enough to immobilize it, or greatly hinder mobility, an emergency exit system could be activated by hand. As well, it held an automated system, so Woozi could plan as many steps ahead as he needed, as long as the machine didn’t shut down prematurely. Along with all that, upon shutting down, the Vulcan would practically become a brick.

There was no way to charge it in it’s current state, Woozi had ensured that when he’d programed it. It’s a completely useless chunk of titanium now, so in the least, he didn’t have to worry about the safety of the kids.

…Although, this also meant he was going to have to rebuild the Vulcan from scratch. No money, no suit, no materials. Back to square one, he supposed.

As he wandered through the city, his heart was thudding in his chest. He must look suspicious anyways, hiding behind a heavy turtleneck in this hot weather. It was best not to draw attention, so he’d take as many back alley-way streets and detours as his path would allow.

Somehow, though… He’d expected this journey to feel a lot more urgent? A little more ‘holy shit, I gotta get home before I end up getting mobbed by the whole goddamn city’, and a little less ‘early afternoon stroll through the streets.’ He scanned the surrounding area for any signs of wanted ads, curiosity overwhelming the trembling of his aching leg. No matter how he looked at it, there was no sense of disarray among the people. Everything was calm; the ebb and flow of daily activity continuing on as usual. After everything that happened yesterday, shouldn’t they be...at least a bit on edge? The most infamous and dangerous criminal in the whole city was just defeated, it’s identity released to the public. Jihoon was here, wandering among the people, and yet anyone who spared him a glance would dismiss him as a dirty street-rat immediately.

Were all these people simpletons? He supposed he should thank god for their unbelievable poor eyesight, considering that if _he_ was standing in the shoes of the passerby’s, he’d be collecting the huge bounty on the Vulcan’s head without question.

He sighed, hiking the neck of the sweater up higher on his face with a nervous hand. Something here… wasn’t right.

The sun was blazing, setting ripples of light in the open air before him like microwaves. If there was a record for ‘longest distance traveled on one foot’, Jihoon was certain he’d beat it. He reached the location of the hideout by mid-day, cursing as he trudged through the grass. It was times like this when he fully regretted locating their hideout in the very outskirts of the city, right on the corner of ‘too fucking far,’ and ‘one bitch of a hill!’

To be fair, he didn’t walk here often. He rode the Vulcan through the sewers to get to the corner store at a reasonable speed. He wasn’t about to hike 8 kilometers cause the kids needed milk for their frosted flakes, okay?

Jihoon pulled away at grass and dirt with his nails, digging until a metal sheet was revealed just inches below. He cranked the turn-wheel with a grunt, straining against the rusted-shut lock. It opened with an undignified screech, falling open.

He stared down into the hole. Suddenly, turning off the lights to the manual entrance was starting to feel like a fucking mistake. He sighed, shutting the hatch above him before beginning his climb down in pitch blackness. He just couldn’t get a fucking break today.

“Hyung?” Chan quit his pacing immediately, freezing as Jihoon emerged from the opening of the old entrance. He dropped his phone without care, rushing to catch Jihoon as-in the realization of safety-his leg’s strength gave up “Fuck, where have you been? Are you okay?” Chan dragged him over to a chair, carrying Jihoon along his shoulders. He set him down carefully, eyebrows furrowed in worry.

“I’m fine… walking back just took ages.” Jihoon rubbed shaky hands over his hands, huffing. At that, Chan’s expression had fallen sullen.

“What happened? I only saw what I could from the news…”

“I… I fucked up. I didn’t think the Sergeant was capable of losing his temper like that. It was an unprecedented outcome, and the Vulcan wasn’t prepared for such a battle. I had no choice but to abandon the Vulcan. When I fell down the escape tunnel, I guess I hit my head and got a concusison.” he sighed. “I’m sorry Chan… it seems like I’ve put us in a tight situation. It’s gonna be tough from now on.”

Chan pulled back a tuff of black hair, gasping. "Fuck, there's blood... I don’t give a shit that we lost the Vulcan…” He looked away, stroking a careful thumb along Jihoon's scalp to check for fresh blood. Fortunately, it was dry. “I’m just glad we didn’t lose you.”

Jihoon smiled, giving Dino’s hair a comforting ruffle. “You’re a sap, did you know that? Don't worry, I'd never let those MANSAE bastards win.”

Dino breathed out in relief. “I know… And, it’s fine that we don't have Vulcan… We can rebuild him. We built him from scratch once, we can do it again. It’ll probably be easier this time around, right?”

“I don’t know about that, Chan… With what happened yesterday, It’s not a smart idea for me to be scavenging for parts. Or any of us, for that matter. We may need to lay low for a while.”

“What do you mean?”

Jihoon quirked an eyebrow. “What do you mean ‘what do you mean’? My face is likely all over the goddamn world right now. Unless you’re planning on butchering it with some shitty plastic surgery, walking around out in the open is not an option.”

Chan blinked a few times, shooting an odd look. “They… haven’t released any pictures of your face, Hyung. I’ve been watching the news outlets non-stop since yesterday.”

“That’s ridiculous, why wouldn’t they release it?”

“From what I’ve heard, they still don’t have a clue who you are. Han released a statement this morning to give the city an update on what happened last night.”

Jihoon let out a breath, mind racing. “But, they must know. The Vulcan’s cavity is full of my DNA. The MANSAE scientists have to have found _something_ in there… And, I know for certain that my identity is recorded in the government database, I was in a fucking orphanage. They must have found me… Maybe…. Could they be withholding the information?”

“Why would they? The more people who know your face, the easier it will be to find you. I really doubt they’re that stupid.” Chan got up to grab a bag of frozen peas, and a first aid kit from a far cupboard, setting it down on the floor with a thoughtful expression.

“I can’t understand why they would, but that’s the only explanation I can think of. Those dick-heads at MANSAE aren’t idiotic enough to slip-up on such a clear opportunity...” He cupped his chin, humming. “Those guys must think I’m a moron. I bet they haven’t released it thinking I’ll let my guard down, and go out in the open. Those sneaky bastards!”

Chan rested the peas against the bruise on his leg, deadpanning as Jihoon keeled over with a pained yelp. “You’re overthinking it. I don’t know how, but it really seems like they don’t know who you are. In his statement, Han said they’re currently working towards figuring out your identity with the resources they have. So, seems like they haven’t gotten that far yet.”

Woozi’s face contorted in pain, holding back his voice as the cold seeped into his throbbing ankle. “It only takes a simple scan of a flake of my skin to find me in the database… Unless they haven’t even attempted it yet, they should have found me by now. It’s not rocket science, and I’m pretty sure a lot of those guys _are_ rocket scientists. I’m just not buying it, Chan.”

“What are you gonna do, then? Camp out down here until the world forgets about you?”

Jihoon sighed. “I don’t know… but I'm not taking any chances until we figure out what their game is.”

“But..-”

At the corner of his eye, Jihoon caught the opening of the hallway door, and from it the children had barraged into the room in a frenzied panic of screaming. A few of the boys jumped straight into Jihoon’s arm’s, earning a winded cry of pain from the poor, broken man.

Samuel cupped his face with two small hands, eyes rimmed red. “Hyung you-you, the Vulcan-I-I thought… I thought they got you!”

Jihoon gasped melodramatically, feigning offence despite the weight of multiple kids smothering his bruises. “What? No way! What have I always told you guys?”

Soojung beside him, hung onto his arm tightly, allowing himself a shy smile. “That you’re invincible?”

“Exactly!” He ruffled the boy’s hair with a smirk. “So, what’s with the waterworks, guys? Chan, didn’t you tell them I was coming back?”

Chan rubbed at his neck sheepishly. “Yeah, of course.”

“But-but, Chan was walking back and forth all night!” Samuel whined.

“Yeah, Chan hyung is a bad liar.”

A few other kids threw in their explanations of complaint, leaving Chan to consequently hang his head with an embarrassed flush.

Jihoon couldn’t help the endearing grin he let spread over his otherwise pained expression. He tussled Dino’s hair teasingly, voice softening into quiet reassurance. “I’ll always come back, Chan. Don’t ever doubt that I won’t.”

He scoffed, pulling his head away. “I didn't doubt it, you just took forever...You’re a sap. You know that, right?”

“Sure do, Channie.”

He sighed. “Call me that _one_ more time and I quit, boss.”

Jihoon smacked him, grinning. His pride, his leg, the Vulcan… They were fucked for now. He was facing an all-time career low, but, somehow being here made it all feel okay. Even if the whole world was after his ass personally, he would always have family to fall back on.. This stupid, underground lair, was the one place he found home.

~

“As you can see, sir… There are zero matches. Meaning, whoever the Vulcan thief is… he isn’t registered in the government database.”

Seungcheol sat down in the swivel-chair in his vicinity, opting to rest his legs before his anger could provoke him into round-house kicking the closest scientist in the building onto the moon. He leaned forward, fingers pressed together in an inquisitive manner. Although, from the scientists’ end, it must seem more threatening. “Listen, I’m no scientist, but there has to be a mistake. There _has_ to. All you need to do is be born to have a file in the database! Am I wrong?”

The man stuttered, pushing back thin-rimmed glasses up his nose with a shaky touch. “No, you’re correct Sir-uh-Sergeant, sir.”

“Then there has to be a mistake! How many tests have you done?”

“Uh, well, we have done a complete removal of all pieces of DNA from the suit, and tested each respectively. So, about 800 tests overall, Sergeant. All have come up with nothing.” He scratched at his scalp, the skin revealed past his receding grey hairline sheen with nervous sweat. “I’m not sure how it’s possible, but he doesn’t exist within out database.”

Seungcheol leaned back, rubbing at his nose-bridge with an exasperated breath. “Is it possible he’s in the databases of other Countries?”

“Yes, we put the DNA through the databases nearly a hundred countries. All of them came up negative-.”

“Why haven't you run them through every country?” He snapped, desperation rising behind his otherwise furious tone.

The scientist took a flustered step backwards. “But-uh. Sergeant, sir, the-uh-“

“-The other countries, we either do not have access to their databases due to political reasons, or they do not have a proper database at all.”

Seungcheol turned to face the voice with a face contorted into petty stubbornness, crossing his arms. “Doctor Yoon.”

“Mr. Choi.” He smiled kindly, brushing blonde strands of hair behind his ear as he collected paperwork from the trembling frame of his colleague. “That will be all, doctor Jung, you’re dismissed.”

The man scrambled with his things, speed-walking out the room as if his life depended on it. Seungcheol rolled his eyes. It wasn’t as if he was going to hurt him, it wasn’t _his_ fault the world wanted to make his life a living hell.

Doctor Yoon took a seat before Seungcheol, straightening out his papers. “It’s understandable that you’re upset. We all are, but I suppose you must be feeling the blow most personally.”

That was a fucking understatement. Seungcheol leaned back in the chair, eyebrows furrowed. “You are the head scientist in this operation, are you not?”

“That’s correct.”

“Then tell me, what the hell are you guys doing now that our only lead is a goddamn bust?”

The scientist smiled earnestly, indifferent to Seungcheol’s harsh tone. “Many things, Mr. Choi. For a start, our team is working on a way to get the Vulcan up and running again.”

Seungcheol blinked a few times, perplexed. “What good would that do?”

“Tons. If we know how the current Vulcan runs, it will make facing any future Vulcan’s much easier. As well, judging by the computer-esque layout of the interior, that machine could be filled with useful information. Locations, future plans, perhaps even his name and face.”

It… made sense. As much as Seungcheol loathed the idea of waiting another day to find that bastard, he supposed his harrassing wasn't doing much good either. Seungcheol sighed, arms falling from their stubborn cross in defeat.

He leaned forward, peering up through long lashes.“How are you feeling, Mr. Choi?”

“Just dandy, Doctor.” Sarcasm rolled from his tongue with the quirk of a smile.

Doctor Yoon chuckled. “Well, I can’t help but notice that you’re stress levels have increased significantly since the fight. Perhaps not everyone can see through your walk of confidence, but it’s quite stark in my eyes. You’re lethargic, you frequently take medication for headaches.. Not to mention, you’ve been avoiding talking to anyone since the battle. Well, except our team of course.”

Seungcheol bit his tongue. Wasn’t it a bit rude to psychoanalyze someone without their permission? “What’s your point?”

“I’m not saying this because I want to upset you. As head scientist, I keep tabs on the mental health of my colleagues, it’s my job to ensure the team is at peak mental capacity at all times. I’m simply worried, is all. It’s not healthy to endure such high levels of stress.”

“I’m fine, Doctor Yoon. A headache isn’t going to kill me. Besides, aren’t you a scientist, not a counsellor?”

He held the name-tag against his white coat forward, displaying his name, and below that, his title. Yoon Jeonghan, Head scientist, building counsellor.

“I’m certified in both, I can show you my degreed if this isn’t enough to sate your suspicion.”

He sighed. “No, I believe it.”

“And you’re right, a slight headache shouldn’t kill you. However, longterm stress can lead to many problems, such as Cardiovascular issues, mental health problems, sexual disfunction, and even hairloss.”

Without thinking, his eyes had wandered down to his lap with a wary gaze. His hand traveled up to check his hair, which was still there despite Doctor Yoon’s humored smirk suggesting otherwise. Seungcheol coughed, dropping his hands “If you’re trying to terrify me, fine, you got me. I don’t see how it’s going to help my ‘stress levels’, though.”

“I’m sorry, I just want you to understand the importance of your mental health. I’m a counselor, it’s my job to nag you on the matter.” He handed him a business card, name and number printed neatly against a beige background. “You can call me anytime, I would be happy to help you work through this. Or, if you insist on watching over the work of my employees, feel free to stop by my office. I think allowing yourself to let go of whatever is hindering you will do  you some good.”

Seungcheol peered into the card, his stubborn façade melting under the kind gaze of the man before him. Doctor Yoon, as much as he irritated Seungcheol with all the physiological jargon, he had a point. “Uh… Thank you, doctor. I’ll consider it.”

The scientist leaned back with a calm smile, finger’s brushing against the corners of his papers thoughtfully. “I’m glad to hear that. Come by anytime, Mr. Choi.”

Seungcheol got up from the seat, exchanging a polite bow with the man, an air of professionalism between them. Around him, he could sense a fall in tension as he neared the exit, eyes of anxious workers following as he made his way from the lab. He was being a nuisance, he knew that… he just couldn’t rely on status reports alone. The only way to ensure anyone was getting their shit done, was to barge into the lab and check for himself.

Maybe doctor Yoon was right. This whole Vulcan thing was getting to him… He couldn’t relax, he couldn’t sleep at night. He’d just lay awake, staring at the ceiling with that metal face projected upon his mind. That battle felt as though it had never ended. Still, he could taste the metallic of adrenaline fueled sweat upon his tongue, the throbbing of his fists as they berated titanium flesh… He could still hear that voice.

The Vulcan… A being Seungcheol had once believed to lack any sense of humanity, had shown signs of life for the first time. Even through the robotic filter of the suit, Seungcheol had heard him cry out in pain. He had heard his breath, sporadic gasps of breathing beneath his hold . The begging of the robot rung clear in his memory… It had been the first time Seungcheol had seen weakness within him, leaving a daunting reality Chrystal clear in his mind. The Vulcan wasn’t simply a robot. Somewhere inside that shell of cold metal, had sat a person. His face, his age, unknown to all… Was the Vulcan even a man? It was a complete and utter mystery, one not even the top scientists at MANSAE could puzzle together.

Just who was this person?

He was going insane over this, honestly... consumed by an obsession with the Vulcan’s identity.

He needed to see him, to look the Vulcan in the eye, and search for an answer for the explanation behind it all. Perhaps if Seungcheol could see for himself, he would be able to grow some insight on why? There had to be a reason other than pure evil intent, as to what had driven him to commit to evil for so long…

In this moment, Seungcheol could only wonder.. What was the Vulcan doing right now? Scheming? Plotting the day he would return? He could have a robot lined up and ready to go this very second!

He stopped at a window, peering beyond the glass which overlooked the cityscape, blinding under the harsh glare of the midday sun. No one could say for sure when his nemesis would return, but Seungcheol would be damned if he was about to sit on his ass in wait. He was never going to let his guard down, not until the Vulcan was caught in his grip..

Whoever the Vulcan is, wherever he is… he’d better know that there was a cell on death-row tagged with a blank name-slate… And the moment That Vulcan bastard’s identity was revealed, Seungcheol was going to sign it himself.

~

Jihoon sneezed, rubbing at his nose with a forefinger, while his other hand kept busy at the keyboard. Day five of becoming a hobbit in the underground hideout, and still nothing. No news articles, no public statements, no sightings of unusual MANSAE activity… Not even the online superhero forums were abuzz with answers to his suspicions.

What the fuck was going on?

Could Chan actually be right about them not knowing who he is?

It was an absolutely absurd notion, but at this point in the game, Jihoon had to take into account any, and all possibilities. The scenario where they knew who he was, and they were waiting for him to show his face? Very possible. The one of them _not_ knowing who he is, and legitimately being the dumbest fucks in this known universe? It was a low possibility, but not impossible.

Jihoon pondered, staring into the cast around his ankle with a distant gaze. For what other reason had they not released it? There was zero possibility of it being a pity-case. Those douchewads wouldn’t know mercy if it punched them in the face, especially not towards their most hated villain. It was a puzzle to Jihoon, which was infuriating… He generally knew the answer to everything!

“Hyung?” Chan snapped his finger’s to break Jihoon’s thoughts, leaning against the edge of the desk with a stern expression.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

He stared into a clipboard with furrowed brows. “We have a problem.”

“When don’t we have problems?” Jihoon sighed, spinning in his desk-chair to face Chan properly.

“This is serious… I did inventory today, and we’re running out of supplies. Most importantly, we just used the very last of the generator fuel. It’ll run for a day and a night at least… but then that’s it, we’re gonna lose power.”

“God, fuck me…” Jihoon rubbed his face in his hands, letting out a breath of frustration. The problems just never ended for them.

“I can go get them… I know which shop you buy it from.”

He peeked suspiciously through his fingers at Chan, who was biting at his lips as he waited for Jihoon’s response. That store was downtown… he got the best prices from a local guy who located in the shithole ‘slums’ of Seoul. Jihoon was used to dealing with the guys in that end of town, but it was no place for a kid. “No way, that area is shark-infested waters, Chan.”

Chan’s mouth fell open in disappointment. “Hyung.. I’m not a child anymore, I can handle going shopping by myself.”

“I know you can shop, Chan. But I’m not risking you getting mobbed downtown. You just don’t know how ruthless those guys can be.” He explained in a calm tone, ignoring the boy’s pout.

“Then what are we going to do? I thought you were ‘hibernating’ until the world forgets about you… We need generator fuel. If you’re not gonna go, I will.”

Jihoon cupped his chin, humming. “No, I’ll go.”

“What?”

“See, I want to test out a theory. What I’m thinking right now, is, if the guys at MANSAE don’t know who I am, then I’m wasting my time down here. However, if they do, going out in the open should in the least, give me some insight on the matter.” He leaned back, scratching at his scalp quizzically. “I think no matter which scenario it is, it will be useful to know. I’d rather charge in like a moron with eyes, than continue to take the safe path and work blindly.”

Chan scoffed, crossing his arms. “What about your leg? Do you expect me to sit around here while you hobble downtown? There’s no Vulcan, Hyung. You can’t blast your way through the sewers today.”

“I’ll catch a cab. If I’m gonna waste the remainder of our cash on fuel, I might as well splurge on transportation, too.”

“Do you _want_ to get caught?”

Jihoon chuckled. “No, of course not. I’ll wear a disguise. It’s not like the Cab company is associated with MANSAE or something, anyways.” Before Chan could open his mouth Jihoon had shushed him, expression serious. “And no, enough of the MANSAE conspiracy theories. They’re not in cahoots with public transportation, okay?”

“Then _how_ did I meet Captain Copycat on my morning bus, hm? You can’t tell me this is all coincidence.”

Jihoon chuckled. “Doesn't he go to your school?”

“That doesn’t explain anything, he never takes that bus! Only when I’m there! I’m telling you, Hyung, he’s on to me.”

Jihoon hummed in mock consideration, nodding. “You might just be onto something, Channie… Or! You’re delusional, and maybe he just wants to be your friend.”

“One, don’t call me that, This is your last warning. Two, I would never be friend’s with superhero scum like him, so he’s wasting his time if you’re right.”

He smirked. “But you still think they’re in cahoots?”

“Of course.”

Jihoon chuckled, stretching his arms out as he got up from his desk chair. “Okay, I'll let you know if the Cab driver turns out to be Madam Marine, okay? I should go now, downtown get’s busier at night, so I wanna finish up before dark.”

“Whatever… Take your phone, call me when you get there. If I don’t get a call, I’ll assume something happened and check in, sound good?”

He snatched the phone from his desk, shoving it into the pocket of his jeans with a smirk. “Yeah. Don’t worry, though. I’ve been down this road before, I’ll be okay.”

“You’d better.”

Jihoon ruffled Chan’s hair as he made his way for the door. He quickly changed into some ‘inconspicuous’ clothing before venturing out. A plain grey hoodie with a large hood, a black medical mask, and a pair of non-prescription, round glasses. It didn’t cover his eyes, but sunglasses would be too much. He kind of figured covering everything would be more suspicious than a slight altercation in his usual appearance.

He snuck on the pair of long, protective boots Chan usually were in his ventures in the sewers. Generally, Jihoon used the Vulcan, se he hadn’t stepped on the floors of the sewers often before, but Chan used it to go to school regularly. Utilizing the map on his phone, he could get to the city through a shortcut underground, and exit in Chan’s usual spot. The journey there wasn’t too difficult. He didn’t bring crutches, it would make him seem venerable. Instead, he wore loose fitting pants, which covered the cast, and a pair of shoes too large for him so that they'd fit over it. It was only one shopping trip, his foot would be able to endure the pain for a short while.

In the cover of the sewer walls, however, he supposed he could still hop on one foot for a bit.

Jihoon stuck his thumb up, running towards the road as the cab approached. He swung the door open, eyeing his surrounding for clearance as he buckled up.

“Where’ya headed?”

The man looked back at Jihoon through his mirror, eyes dull and shadowed by the rim of his cap.

“Area 588.”

The man snorted, examining Jihoon’s appearance up and down with a greasy stare. “You sure about that, kid? It’s not a safe place for such a pretty face.” he drawled, eyes squinting.

Jihoon glared, leaning forward with the best ‘touch me and I kill you’ expression he could muster. “I’m certain. Keep your eyes on the road, mister. I won’t be held accountable if you end up losing them.”

He flashed a pocket knife to the man as a shallow threat, quickly directing his shady gaze from Jihoon, to the road in front of him. Fuck, he wasn’t even there yet, and he was already dealing with bullshit.

The drive downtown wasn’t too long, but the air of tension in the cab did it’s best to keep Jihoon’s guard up. He needed to be careful today, for more than a few reasons.

He practically tossed the money at the driver as he left, not bothering to leave a word of thanks for a guy who didn’t know how to keep his perverted mouth shut, and his eyes on the goddamn road. He was dropped in front of the shop, a rundown, two-story building that was falling apart at it’s foundation. Wooden sheets covering the windows where dirty thief’s had attempted to break in. The door creaked behind his hand, a sad jingle of bells above him alerting the owners of his presence. They didn’t get much daytime business… People like Jihoon weren’t the type these guys usually dealt with.

The owner emerged behind a tattered red curtain covering the back, ducking under the walkway. He rested his forearms on the counter, peering down at Jihoon with a temporarily suspicious gaze.

He lowered his mask, and the man’s expression changed immediately.

“Lee! It’s been a while, buddy, what have you been up to?”

Jihoon smiled, resting the mask under his chin. “Good to see you, Janghoon. I’ve been kind of busy lately, is all.”

“You here for the usual?”

“Yeah, but can you cut the order in half? I’m kind of tight for money right now…”

Janghoon frowned. “damn… you being laid off or something?”

“I’m just… out of work at the moment. I'll get the full order next time, this is just temporary until I can get back on my feet.” Jihoon smiled reassuringly. Janghoon was a kind man, Jihoon was glad to have met him. His 200cm stature did a thorough job at intimidating robbers, but behind it all, he was just a giant softie.

“You in some kind of trouble, Lee? You’re looking a little pale.” He nodded towards his complexion with a tinge of worry as he got to work packing Jihoon’s order.

That was probably because his leg felt as though it was getting beat by a baseball bat... He wasn't about to tell Janghoon that, though. He didn't have to suffer through Jihoon's sob story. He chuckled. “I’ll be fine… This is nothing I can’t handle myself.”

Janghoon hummed quietly, turning towards the back to collect the rest. There was a moment of silence beyond the curtain, but Janghoon quickly returned with an arm full of jugs. Jihoon pulled out his wallet casually, hand freezing as he eyed the number of fuel bottled on the counter.

“Janghoon, this is the full order, I can’t afford it.”

He shrugged. “I’ll give you a discount. It’s the least I can do for my favorite customer.”

“Fuck, Janghoon… you’re a saint, thank you man.”

“No problem. And hey, if you’re ever tight with money, I always got odd jobs around the shop for you.” He kicked the side of the counter, causing the register drawer to pop open. “This piece of shit here could use your magic touch, Mr. mechanic.”

“You know I’m always happy to help.” Jihoon smirked. “Want me to take a look now?”

He fixed the register in no time at all. It was a matter of a missing screw in the interior, and a lack of lubrication on the trolley. He left the shop, waving at Janghoon with a bright smile. That man had a heart of gold… Even if he supplied for a number of local gangs. Jihoon might be his only normal client, which would explain why he was the favorite.

Nonetheless, he loved the guy.

The bags were heavy in his arms, and despite his best efforts to keep his injury on the down-low, it was hard to walk casually with the weight of two-weeks fuel supplies in his arms. As a result, Jihoon found himself walking in a hobbling manner towards the closest major road. There wasn’t a lot of people around, let alone cars. He’d probably have to travel a few more streets over to find his next cab. Luckily, thanks to Janghoon’s generosity, he had a bit of spending money now. It was reassuring.

Halfway down the block, Jihoon leaned against a wall, adjusting his grip as he caught his breath. This stuff was fucking heavy…

His foot throbbed. The pain was bordering unbearable, but Jihoon could handle it… He just needed a fucking cab to get him the rest of the way. He should probably call Chan and let him know he was here first, though.

Jihoon reached for his phone, but before his fingers could graze the device, something had reached out from behind him, dragging him into the alleyway with rough hands. Jihoon fell backwards into the grip in his moment's of surprise, bags abandoned on the floor as he struggled to escape his captors arms.

The man jerked his head up, face disguised behind sunglasses. Behind him, stood three other men, all dressed in black. Jihoon's heart thudded, wincing as he felt a stretch of tape wrap over his wrists.

The man spoke bluntly against his ear, whispering. “Don’t struggle, and I won't have to hurt you.”


	6. A Choice

**Chapter 6: A Choice**

Jihoon didn’t say anything before acting. As long as he was at the disadvantage, verbal confrontation was useless.

“Bag his head.” The man ordered to his colleague behind them, who began to step forward, holding a burlap sack forward.

In the moment’s the man was distracted attempting to bind his hands with, what felt to be duct tape, Jihoon lunged backwards, using the weight of his body to knock him to the floor. The man looked up the moment his ass hit concrete, briefly bewildered, giving Jihoon a chance to take a deep breath, rolling his wrists and stretching the tape behind his back as he spun to face them.

“Who the hell are you?” Jihoon spat, tensing his wrists subtly, holding eye contact as a means of keeping control of the situation. If he kept engaged, they would not feel rushed to catch him. Unless they were smart enough to see through Jihoon’s diversion’s, which he highly doubted.

The man said nothing, expression hidden behind the tint of his sunglasses as he pulled himself off the concrete. He nodded to the others, who began to step forward with an aura of irritation.

Jihoon didn’t so much as flinch at their approach, calming himself with a breath. After building a layer of slick between his skin and the glue of the ducktape, his wrist slipped out with ease. He booked it towards the alleyway exit without another thought, only to be pulled back in by the hood of his sweater, gasping out a choke as the collar yanked against his throat.

“Be smart, kid. It’s better for the both of us if you do as we say.” The man whispered against the shell of Jihoon’s ear in a low voice, holding Jihoon still as he ran his fingers against black hair, grasping at the strands.

Jihoon felt his head yanked back by the hair in the man’s fist, forced to look up at his captor with a pained glare. He shifted his feet against the grain of concrete below, staring up with dark eyes. “Who the fuck are you calling kid?”

The man chuckled, turning and nodding his head to signal the other’s without a shred of caution. Was this guy serious? Who was he expecting to intimidate with such a cute face? It was laughable.

A sudden tug against his hand had him looking down with a smirk, fully expecting to see the boy struggling. Quickly, though, as he stared at the few strands of tattered black hair in his grip, ends ripped from the roots, his smile dropped. “What the fu-“

Jihoon shot up from beneath, holding his fist tight as he drove it into the underside of the man’s chin. A crack ricocheted, tossing him back against the concrete. He cried out in a low voice, unintelligent jabbling as he gripped his jaw. It was most definitely broken, seeing as the strike had hit the very center of the jaw hinge, while his mouth had been open, so Jihoon supposed he could excuse him for sounding like a moron.

Nonetheless, he silenced him with a swift kick to the side of his head, slamming it against a close-by wall.

The man’s struggles ceased instantly, falling unconscious against the concrete.

Jihoon looked up with a glare at the two other men in the alleyway, who were now standing stark, their disbelief clear even through the tint of dark sunglasses. Jihoon knew exactly what they were thinking. ‘How the hell could a little guy like that take down a six foot tall baddie like me?’ Really, it took him busting up their boss to take him seriously? He could deal with the attempted kidnapping, but to be underestimated? That just pissed him off.

“Well?” Jihoon taunted, shaking out the tension in his fingers as he stared up at the men. “Which one of you pussies are next?”

After an exchange of glances, the men stepped forward cautiously, arms held outwards in a fighting position. They lunged forward one by one, and Jihoon dodged to the side, duking down and utilizing the difference of sizes by slinking behind the men with ease.

He elbowed one man in the small of his back, stepping back as the other spun to catch up with his movements.

There were a few problems with the men he was facing. For one, they were stupid; relying solely on brute strength rather than technique. In this sense, Jihoon held the advantage. Because they had made assumptions based on his apearance since the beginning, he could take them by surprise. But, overall, Jihoon was simply better than them.

Sure they were tall, and muscular, and they dressed cool, but what was the use of it all? Jihoon was practically dancing around these assholes.

They fought back clumsily, throwing heavy swings in hopes of taking him down in one blow, but Jihoon was smaller, faster. He dodged with ease, albeit painfully. His foot was still sprained, so he did his best to land on his good foot at all times.

That also meant he couldn’t prance around the problem much longer. He had to find an opening to finish this…. He couldn’t take them both down together, but separately, he had confidence. He needed to pull them apart.

Jihoon thought quickly, feeling the brush of the mans fist glide, skimming his shoulder as his dodged slowed. He took his surroundings in as quick as he was able to, in the split second it took to wrap his fingers around the wrist of the one man, pulling his body weight forward to yank him back, knocking the other man, who had been coming in from behind.

As they stumbled together, Jihoon changed positions, back towards a nearby collection of metal trash cans. He steadied his breath in preparation as the men approached. They were clearly irritated, breath heavy after that childish game of cat and mouse. Although Jihoon did his best to control his breathing, he couldn’t deny that he was feeling it too.

“What’s wrong? You boys tired already?”

Jihoon was starting to wonder if the first guy had been the only one who _wasn’t_ mute. Besides the grunts and breathing, he had yet to hear the other two say a word. No matter, conversation was unnecessary. He was about to end this.

Although they attacked together, one of the men came at him faster, at a sprint, exactly as Jihoon had hoped he would. As they’d faced off, he’d taken notes. This one was more confident, a bit more full of himself. Jihoon used his eagerness to his advantage. As he came forward, Jihoon moved precisely, feigning a direct engagement. The man grunted, kicking powerfully in some kind of a stiff, round-house stance.

From the blunt way they moved, Jihoon could tell they weren’t fit for fighting like this. They were meant to apprehend him using brute strength, not agility. Honestly? They were fucking slow. It didn’t take much effort to divert the kick, ducking, throwing the man off-balance. Before he could regain his stance, Jihoon ducked behind, back-kicking him in his moment of unsteadyess, causing him to crash against the piles of trash Jihoon had been standing by.

Jihoon spun to face the other man, who was approaching just behind, spinning on his heal in a-

“Aak-fuck!” Jihoon felt a spike of pain, leg giving out the moment he had attempted to pivot. His fucking ankle! Stupid, cheep-ass cast.

Without even being given the chance to recover, the other man was on him in an instant, tackling him to the concrete face-down.

“Get the hell off you-mffff!”

His voice muffled into the fabric of a cloth, pressed tight against his nose and mouth. The other man, who had been tossed into the trash, collected himself quickly, walking over within Jihoon’s peripheral vision, pulling the burlap sack from before off the floor.

His vision blurred, chest thumping sporadically.

He felt his head yanked up by the neck to face him, felt a brush against his cheek, a ticklish sensation. As his vision cut to black and his mind began to fade, one sensation lingered until the end.

That sickly sweet smell.

~

Is it…. Morning?

It’s too dark, he’d probably fallen asleep under the Vulcan again.

No… The Vulcan broke. Ah-fuck, the generator… He’d never filled it. The power was just off, wasn’t it? Where’s the kids? They must be shitting themselves…

Jihoon opened his mouth to speak slowly, biting in confusion against something soft, stuffing his mouth full, making any literate speech impossible.

“Were my orders not clear? I told you not to fucking hurt him!”

A voice… Slightly unclear, words echoing against his skull. Who is that?

Jihoon attempted to turn his head, groaning against the gag as he felt the spike of a headache rattle, pulling his hands up to grasp at his scalp uselessly. They were bound behind his back, sweating beneath the bonds… It was smooth, like metal, clasped tightly around his wrists.

“Yes, sir, but we had no choice… He’s-”

“-I don’t want to hear your excuses. I warned you before that if you hurt him there would be consequences, did I not?”

Jihoon’s world was spinning, slowly coming to a stand-still. He scrambled to remember… He’d gone to the store to get generator fuel, he fixed a sticky cash drawer… He went to get a taxi, and then…

Right! Those assholes in the fucking alleyway!

Jihoon pulled against his bindings, twisting his wrists in an attempt to find a lock. He needed to get out of here, this was bad.

“But sir, he was like a monster... You saw what he did to Jiyong! He cracked his skull against the bricks and then _smiled_ at us. I mean, are you sure this is a good idea?”

“I’m the one who decides whether something is a good idea or not. Frankly, your tone makes me think I never should have given you a role in this operation. Shall I revoke your position? Send you back to working as a dog for those-wait, shush..”

“Sir, I-”

“-Shut up, he’s awake.”

Jihoon flinched, halting his struggles as footsteps approached from the front. The light that shun against his vision once the blindfold was removed was blinding, he squinted in order to get a proper look at his captors.

And honestly, he expected some dingy basement, dudes in bloody pig masks wielding jagged carving knives… But, his surroundings were pristine. The walls were spotlessly white, the room empty besides a few metal storage shelves, an office chair, plus the two men before him.

Even without his sunglasses, he immediately recognized the first one. Tall, and well built, in a speckles black suit, black hair. He was one of the men from the alleyway.

“You’re dismissed.” The man beside him spoke, calmly.

‘Suit and tie’ turned to him with wide eyes. “Are you certain?”

“ _leave_ , Seunghyun, that’s an order.”

After a moment of hesitation, ‘Seunghyun’ left, bowing at the door respectfully before shutting it behind him. Leaving Jihoon and the mysterious man alone.

“How are you feeling, Mr. Lee?” The man spoke, pushing his glasses up on his nose bridge with long, slender fingers. Jihoon looked him over with dark eyes, following as he took a seat in front, crossing his legs as if he were having a casual conversation with a co-worker.

He was a unique-looking man. Whispy, sort of bobbed blonde hair, lying neatly against high cheekbones. His skin was bright and pale, big, deep-set eyes, blinking quizzically behind round glasses. It was notable to point out that he was also wearing a lab-coat, but… Jihoon would admit, his looks were distracting.

He might even go as far as saying he had _nearly_ perfect symmetry, something Jihoon would have admired, if not for the whole gagged-and-bound situation. He ignored the question, too busy analyzing him to even comprehend what he had said.

The man chuckled as he stood, leaning forward to Jihoon. “Right, I suppose this makes it a bit difficult to speak. Sorry about that.”

Jihoon flinched back as the man leaned in close, untying the rag and pulling it out from his mouth gently, staring down with bright eyes. He stretched out his aching jaw with a pained expression, never once looking away from the stranger.

“You don’t need that, anyways. This room is sound-proof, so calling for help would be useless. I think it’s unfortunate that we’ve had to meet this way, but I think it’s pretty safe to assume you wouldn’t have agreed to come otherwise.” He bowed, an oddly respectable gesture, considering the fact that Jihoon was his hostage. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lee; my name is doctor Yoon.”

Jihoon felt dumbfounded. He furrowed his brows, looking around with what little range he had. Was this some kind of hidden camera show? “I can’t say I feel the same way.” He mocked, expression unchanging.

The man didn’t take offense, he simple leaned forward, an almost fascinated expression hiding behind professional eyes. “Do you know who I am?”

“I’m afraid the list of people who have threatened to kidnap and murder me is a bit too long for me to remember the specifics.” He scoffed, eyeing the doctors name-tag with a knowing frown. “You’re not just any kidnaper though, are you, Doctor? You are a rather famous scientist, being a head at microbial identification technology in Korea, or most notably… head scientist at MANSAE.” His eyes narrowed, nodding his head to the side in a scrutinizing manner. “I thought that was just a codename since I’d never found any photo identification, honestly. Who knew the infamous Yoon was such a pretty-boy.”

The doctor leaned back in his chair, smug. “You flatter me, Mr. Lee. I could say the same about you.” He watched intently at Jihoon’s expression, flickering in curiosity. “Who knew the Vulcan Thief would be so charming.”

Honestly… It wasn’t surprising that MANSAE knew who he was. Still, Jihoon couldn’t help the spike of anxiety he felt at those words. He huffed, holding his nerves by the neck to suppress a show of weakness. “I’m assuming you didn’t drag me all the way here to flirt with me, so get to the point, if there is one to all this.”

Yoon chuckled, cupping his chin. “You’re correct, I’m sorry… I don’t mean to waste your time. I’ve just been hoping to meet you for a long time now, so I didn’t want to rush things.”

This guy’s insane, isn’t he? He’s some kind of corrupt, MANSAE employee, sucking the toes of the criminals to sate his own fucked up fascinations… Or, something along those lines. Since when did it become protocol to have a friendly ‘get to know you’ chat with the criminals? Jihoon grimaced. “Unfortunately, my patience was thin the moment I woke up bound and gagged to a metal chair. If you want to talk business, then untie me first. Don’t you think this kinky shit is a bit unprofessional?”

“I wish I could, but after seeing the work you did on my men, this was a necessary evil. I’m surprised, Jihoon. When I read your profile, I wasn’t sure what to look forward to… But, you’ve certainly exceeded my initial expectations. Not only are you a genius, but it seems like you’re quite skilled in fighting, even _out_ of the suit.” The doctor leaned forward, brushing a gentle hand against Jihoon’s cast. “If not for this, I don’t think my men would have even had a chance.”

Jihoon only noticed now, staring down in disgust, at the shiny new cast adorning his injury; much more professionally done, he might add. “It didn’t help that you sent a trio of land whales to do your dirty work.”

Yoon laughed, leaning back in his chair bemusedly. “You’re a funny guy, Jihoon. I suppose I could have expected this after listening to your quips with the Sergeant, though.”

"I’m glad you find the situation amusing, because I’m not exactly falling out of my chair over this. Why don’t you tell me why I’m here, doctor Yoon, because none of this feels like it’s following the boy scout code of conduct to me. Either MANSAE needs to tighten the reigns on their employees, or… MANSAE doesn’t know about this at all, so which is it?”

Jihoon’s eyes tracked the doctor as he crossed his legs, tapping the tips of slender fingers rhythmically against his knee. “You’ve very observant, Jihoon... And you’re right. This has nothing to do with MANSAE.”

“And I’m just supposed to take your word for that?”

He pushed his glasses up on his nose quietly, smile holding. “You said it yourself, this isn’t protocol. The reason you are here is because, I have a proposition for you.”

Jihoon couldn’t help but think, in different circumstances, he would have been able to enjoy an intelligent conversation with the doctor. He was obviously much smarter than he put on… Albeit a bit strange. But Jihoon would be damned if he was about to agree with whatever fucked up request he was about to lay out. He couldn’t deny that he was curious, though. “it’s not like I can refuse to listen, so shoot.”

There was a moment of silence between them, as Jihoon wriggled in his seat to ease the kink in his arms, and the doctor seemed to be taking a dramatic pause for the theatrics of the situation.

“I want you to join to help me start a revolution.”

“… A what?”

“Ah, that’s kind of a leap to say… Allow me to reword, I want you to help me with something that, I believe, is in the best interest for us both.”

Jihoon raised an eyebrow, dubious. “And that would be?”

“To put it bluntly, I want to take down MANSAE’s strongest superhero, and I think you’re the perfect person to help me do it.” Yoon finished, a quaint hint of satisfaction behind his smirk as he watched Jihoon’s mind puzzle.

“I guess since you assume I’m gonna jump on this opportunity, you mean Sergeant underwear.”

Yoon looked away, snickering. “Man, you really are a fresh breath of air, Jihoon. When people talk about Sergeant, there’s always some level of respect, a bit of fear… but you just really don’t care, do you? You don’t have the comical cockiness of most villains, or the anger of some.. It’s _genuine._ I knew my intuition would be right about you.”

“You’re right that I don’t care, so I don’t see why you think I’d be interested in this. If I could kill that leotard-wearing lunatic, I would have done it a long time ago. But, I really gotta ask, why the fuck are you trying to take him down, Mr. Head scientist? In fact, why should I trust you at all?”

There was a strange tension between them, not hot or cold, but lukewarm and uneasy. Jihoon could feel the doctor’s eyes raking over him… unlike the way he generally felt men look him up. It was in a manner of simple observation. The way a scientist would watch a specimen in a jar, as if Jihoon were the most fascinating person he had ever seen. However, despite him being the one tied up and examined, that level of respect the doctor had displayed since the beginning still held. At first he may have dismissed it as act, but this far in, Jihoon could tell that wasn’t the case.

His simplest of gestures; the gentle touches, the anxious tapping, the way he fiddled with his glasses, and spoke at an octave much higher than his natural voice (judging by the way he’d spoken to his employee before.) It all suggested that the doctor was suppressing some levels of excitement. Whether this excitement was of some filthy fantasies of tying someone to a chair, or of a genuine respect for Jihoon himself… remained up for debate.

“I suppose that is a bit confusing… But, I don’t want you to think of me as ‘head scientist at MANSAE.’ Really, that whole scenario is just a cover-up for me. Instead, I want you to see it like this; I have infiltrated the inner foundations of MANSAE operations. I see who goes in, I see who goes out, I know identities, secrets, weaknesses, you name it.” The doctor’s eyes were wide as he spoke, determined. “I want to be your ally, Jihoon… In fact, I’ve already been helping you for a while now.”

“… How so?” Jihoon questioned, unwilling to give in to his exaggerations so easily.

“Well, you're smart. Even for me, it’s taken a long time to figure out who you are, but I’ve deducted some key points during the time that I have been watching your activity. I estimated since the beginning that you were likely below 170cm, so I informed the research group that you would be above. I unscrambled your voice filter and heard your real voice, and then altered it so that MANSAE would never know. And haven’t you wondered why your face hasn’t been released, Jihoon? Why since MANSAE got their hands on your suit, your criminal profile hasn’t been plastered on billboards around the country?”

Of course he was, but the way Yoon put it only made Jihoon feel pissed. If this guy knew so much, he should understand that these ‘snobby, know-it-all’ types were Jihoon’s least favorite kind of person. Jihoon simple glared, clasping his mouth into a thin line.

“I have the authority to access the government database. I am in charge of keeping the technology up to date, after-all. This is how I finally found you, Jihoon. And nobody aside from me saw your file.”

Jihoon scoffed. “So what did you do, lie to them? I’m sure there’s plenty of scientists at MANSAE other than you, somebody would check eventually.”

“You’re right.” He smirked, interlocking his fingers together against his knee. “Which is why I deleted you from the database. As of now, Lee Jihoon doesn’t even exist. You’re a ghost in the system, it’s impossible for anyone to find you without my help.”

“Is that a threat?”

“No! God, no. Even if it was beneficial to me, I would never give you up to MANSAE. As it stands, I believe you’re the key to setting my plan into action. I need your help. And, with the way things have played out, I believe you could use someone like me.”

Jihoon searched earnestly for signs of dishonesty, for a hint of malice… Discluding the possibility that Yoon was a genius of body language, he seemed to be genuine in his words. “So, you’re a proposing a give-and-take situation of sorts? I help you, you return the favor, and the two of us skip merrily into MANSAE headquarters, blow it up, and live happily ever after?”

“Yes… Well, not exactly how you put it, but yes.”

“And how exactly do you expect us to do this, doctor? What _exactly_ are you proposing?”

“I want you to become close to the sergeant. Gain his trust, enough that he’ll let his guard down, enough that he will tell you something that he hasn’t told anybody, not to the world, or to his company, or to even his closest friends.” Yoon smiled, leaning forward. “His weakness.”

“… His weakness? Really? I thought the ‘kidnapping me in an alleyway’ thing was bad, but this? We have exceeded dangerous levels of cliché, Yoon.” Jihoon felt himself growing increasingly doubtful, each time the doctor opened his mouth. “Besides, what makes you think I’d be able to juice the secrets outta him? Hate to break it to you, but me and the Sergeant are kind of infamous for our public bitch fights. He’d sooner punch me through a skyrise than open up to me.”

“I know! It’s a strange thought, right? On the outside, anyone could see that you’re enemies… but in fact, I think out of everyone, you’re the closest thing to a friend he has. If you met him out of uniform, you would see it the way I do, I’m sure. He has a wall up around him that nobody, not even his closest colleagues have been able to get over. Yet during a fight with you, it crumbles in an instant! He gets angry at you, he quarrels, he breaks face… And I don’t think it’s just because you know how to rub him the wrong way.”

Jihoon’s mouth hung open, hesitant to argue as the doctor spoke so passionately.

“Believe me, if I could have done it, I would have by now. I’m MANSAE’s _counselor_ for god’s sake. I have the deepest, darkest secrets of the company on file, but he won’t crack even for me! I don’t know what it is about you exactly, but I think you’re the only one who can do it.”

“Even if I said yes to helping you, and that’s a big fucking if… How would you expect me to get close to him? I’m the most wanted criminal in the city right now, just leaving my house this morning was a risk.” Jihoon quirked his head, squinting. “Regular people don’t just ‘get close’ with Coups. Plenty of superhero’s have their true identity public, but that guy is practically kept on lockdown. Trust me, I’ve looked into this; I don’t even know his real name. What do you expect me to do?”

“I want you to join CLAP.”

Jihoon blinked a few times, disbelieving. “You want me to _what?”_

“Think about it. If you joined the program, I have the ability to rig the system from the inside. It pairs superhero’s and inmates based on a randomly generated personality match, it’ll be easy to make it match you and the sergeant. And then he’ll have no choice but to get close to you.” Yoon brushed hair behind his ears, collecting himself back to the calm doctor he had appeared to be in the beginning. “There is one reason why we call Sergeant Coups the best, and that is because he has never been beaten; nobody knows how to. But everybody has their kryptonite, there’s simply never been anyone close enough to the Sergeant to discover his. So, what do you say, Jihoon? Will you help me?”

Jihoon stared up at the doctor with a heavy gaze. “What if I refuse? What will you do, kill me?”

“No, certainly not.”

He squinted, dubious. It wouldn’t make sense to go through all of this, and then simply let him go free. Jihoon thought for a moment, possibilities waving through his mind as the doctor’s carefree smile loomed over him.

Yoon kept his face calm, but Jihoon could sense him becoming tense. His nails dug into his knee, eyes shifting. There was something he wasn’t telling him.

“I’m going to be honest with you, doctor. Your plan sounds far-fetched, and as much as becoming buddy-buddy with Sergeant sounds like the best damn time of my life, I doubt he feels the same way. But, I know you’re not stupid, you’re not just going to let me go if I say no… So what’s the catch, Doctor?”

Doctor Yoon breathed out, focusing his gaze on Jihoon. “…I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this, but if you really won’t comply, I’ll have no choice.” Jihoon watched carefully as the doctor stood from his chair, turning towards the file cabinet behind him. He rustled through the drawers, pulling out a file from within.

As he sat back down, Jihoon noted the change in expression. His smile had dropped, replaced with a solemn frown as he turned the first page of the file towards Jihoon.

He wasn’t sure what he had expected to see. But a picture displaying Chan certainly hadn’t crossed his mind. Jihoon’s mouth hung open, pupils shaking.

“Lee Chan, born Febuary 11th, 1999. He registered into the same orphanage as you at the age of 5, two years after you arrived. He’s currently finishing his senior year at Kwangwoon electronics Technical Highschool, and has dreams of attending KAIST for university, but is unlikely to be accepted due to his background. Sound familiar?”

“If you touch him I’ll fucking kill you!” Jihoon yanked at his bindings with as much force as he could muster, startling the doctor before him, who flinched back.

“Calm down, thrashing is useless... you’ll only hurt yourself.” He explained, coughing out the break in his voice. “I’m not going to lay a finger on him. However, if you are to refuse my request, I cannot guarantee the authorities wont.” Yoon turned the next page towards Jihoon, displaying pictures of security footage from multiple locations… Chan captured in each one. “Here, Chan is shown stealing tools from an electronics shop near his school. Here, he’s shown stealing groceries from a store not too far from there. Here, he’s shown pick-pocketing a boy from his school. They’re all low-level crimes, honestly, but added together they become a much bigger issue. If acted upon, he could face fines of up to three million won… Which I’m sure, based on the constant theft, he wouldn’t be able to pay. In which case he could face two to three years of jail time.”

Jihoon bit his tongue, eyebrows furrowed together in fury.

“This much time in jail is nothing… But for Chan, it’ll ruin his chances of getting into a respectable University. It only takes a few years to steal the innocence of a youth in jail. I’m sure that’s not what you want, is it Jihoon?”

“You bastard… You are one evil motherfucker, aren’t you? How does it feel exploiting the future of a kid for your own gain?” Jihoon hissed, feeling his face heat up under his anger.

The doctor’s face fell, closing the files. “It’s up to you what happens… But, if you agree to my terms, I can assure you that I will keep up my end of the bargain.”

“If I agree, you won’t touch him? That’s the deal?”

“Yes, I won’t involve him in this at all.”

Jihoon considered it for a long while, weighing his choices on a seesaw, as the silence between the two of them grew deafening. He had no choice, did he? This had been the deal since the beginning… he wasn’t going to let the kids take the slack for anything he did. No matter if Chan was committing some miniscule crimes, it was Jihoon’s influence that drove him to that, he was certain…

He couldn’t be sure that Yoon would keep his promise, though. As far as he knew, the moment Jihoon agreed, this Yoon guy would have MANSAE authorities breaking down their doors.

No, this seems to be a long-term agreement… If at any point Yoon broke his promise, Jihoon would be able to back out, right? Yoon didn’t gain anything from punishing Chan, it would make no sense for him to take such a risk.

Jihoon sighed, meeting the doctor’s eyes. “Let’s talk terms.”

The doctor smiled, physically exuding relief. “I’m glad you’ve come around.” He pulled a paper from his file, reading through it. “There are a few thing’s I want to make clear before anything is agreed upon. For one, you will follow my order’s during this operation. As I am working as the company counselor, mission reports will take place in the form of counseling appointments… Aside from that, contact with me will be kept minimal. You will have whatever range of freedom the company grants you, but you are absolutely forbidden to have outside contact. Meaning; friends, family, or anybody who may have known you as the Vulcan.”

“No. I’m not going to leave Chan alone, he needs me…” Jihoon prevented himself from mentioning the others, unsure if the doctor even knew about them, yet. “If I must keep it a secret from him, then rest assured I will, but I’m not abandoning him.”

The doctor sighed, placing his papers on his lap. “Unfortunately, I can’t allow that. This is a delicate operation, I can’t risk anyone leaking our plans. As of right now it’s fine to continue contact as normal, but once we begin the operation you will no longer have contact with Chan, or any of the other orphaned children, for that matter.”

Jihoon gulped, feeling his forehead growing nervously slick at the mention of the others. This Yoon guy knew everything… he supposed it wasn’t surprising for a person who was known for his skills in identity technology, but it was still ridiculous. “They’re just kids… They need me.”

“You won’t have to worry about them anymore, I’ll make sure each and every one of them is well accommodated. I have connections, I can assure you that they’re taken care of.” Yoon offered a sympathetic expression. “I know Dino’s a bit too old for a new family… But, I can guarantee him a spot at KAIST, a free ride with room and board. He’s a gifted student, I’m sure he’ll excel there.”

Jihoon felt his heart dropping in his chest… Those kids were his family. From the very beginning, it has been him and them against the world. Sure, it’s never been exactly luxury, but… They’re happy. Just being with them has been enough to motivate Jihoon to keep going all this time. How could he just leave them like that? How could he break his promise?… “What would I tell them, Yoon? I can’t do that to them, I just can’t…”

“I know this is hard for you… But, you will see very soon that this is for the best. For them, as well as you. It’s _safer_ this way, Jihoon.”

Jihoon met his eyes, pupils shaking as his mind ran through his options. He was trapped, physically and figuratively. Would this really be better for them? Sent to live with strangers, people who could never understand the struggles they’ve been through… Forced to _conform._

Yet, then again, with a stable family, they’ll never have to worry anymore… They would always have food on the table, they won’t have to wear hand-me-down clothes, or worry about whether or not Jihoon's gonna come home after a heist. They won’t have to worry about him dying anymore… Isn’t that what’s best for them? Honestly, they’ll probably hate him for it, especially Chan. But as long as they were safe, Jihoon could bear the resentment. All that mattered to him was their futures.

Jihoon opened his mouth to speak, cut-off as the phone in his back pocket began to buzz.

_Fuck… Chan..._

His eyes widened as the doctor leaned forward, running his hand along Jihoon’s back until he felt the phone, slipping it out to see the displayed name. Jihoon was only now regretting setting his name to ‘Channie.’

Yoon held the phone forward with a smile. “Go ahead, talk to him. You can give me your answer through this.” He swiped the answer button, holding the phone against Jihoon’s ear.

As his voice came through, Jihoon couldn’t help but feel he didn’t have a choice.

~

Chan bit his nails, pacing the floor as the phone rang through. It picked up on the fourth ring, the line buzzing against his ear. Chan haulted his steps, sighing. “Why do you take so fucking long to pick up?”

“Ah… I just didn’t feel it ring, sorry.”

Chan chuckled, leaning against the desk behind him. “It’s getting late, what are you doing? Hurry home before the power shuts off, the kids are getting antsy. Did you get the fuel?”

“yeah, I got it…”

Jihoon’s voice was quiet, unusual compared to the way they usually bantered over the phone. It was only a bit worrisome for Chan, who had only moment’s ago been pacing the floor wondering why Jihoon hadn’t called… “You’re okay, right? If your leg hurts, just let me know. I can meet you wherever you are, and-“

“-No... I’m fine, Channie. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be home soon, okay? I’m just catching a cab now.”

“Oh, okay… You sure?”

Jihoon’s voice brightened up audibly, humming. “You worry too much, you know that? I was just helping out Janghoon around the shop and lost track of time.”

Chan chuckled. “I told you to call when you got there, stupid. Whatever, just hurry home. Bye, Hyung.”

“Bye Chan… I love you.”

“W-what?” Chan coughed, standing up from the desk in embarrassment. “Are you sick?”

“I’m teasing Channie, don’t be so frigid. Bye dude.”

“Don’t call me that!”

The phone hung up from the other end, line buzzing against Chan’s ear. He smiled to himself as he put the phone down, leaning back against the desk.

Why did he ever bother worrying about that guy?


	7. True beginnings

 

 

            Soonyoung ran his finger around the rim of his coffee cup solemnly, humming to the song playing over the speakers to sate his boredom. For a guy who was always running around tryna be on time for work, would it kill him to be punctual for their coffee date?

            He sighed, pulling up the neck of his sweater to hide his chin.

            He scanned around at the others in the shop, sitting around him, catching eyes with a group of girls who had been looking his way. They flashed a nervous smile before looking away… How sad. They probably thought he’d gotten stood up or something.

            Damn, was he getting stood up?

            As Soonyoung began to blow anxious bubbles into his coffee, from above his eyeline a man had walked into the room. Sitting down at his table with a sigh of air. He would add, with a raise of an eyebrow, that he was also dressed _onoxiously._

            He sighed. “You know, if you just wore normal people clothing sometimes, you wouldn’t have to wear sunglasses indoors like some kind of a douchebag.”

            “I’d rather look like a douche than risk getting recognized.” Seungcheol sat back with a humph, wiping the sheen around his forehead with the back of his hand. Unbeknownst to his naïve friend, he’d managed to gather the attention of every single woman within their vicinity. Talk about a lack of subtlety…

            “Did you run here?”

            Seungcheol waved over the waitress with a blank expression, leaning back in his chair as she scampered over. “I know, I’m late. I came the second I finished up my shift, but- Hi, I’ll have an iced americano, thank you- But I got held up at the bank, and-“

            “-I get it. So, what was it today? Bank robber? Aren’t you too high up on the ladder to be doing police work?”

            He rubbed a finger against his temple, explaining in a hushed tone. “It was more complicated than robbery, Soonyoung… The necromantic had taken hostages at one of the biggest…” He sighed, “why are we talking about work?”

            “The necromantic? I though that guy was behind bars already…”

“Will you keep you voice down?” he hushed. “Apparently, he slipped past security and escaped during a routine cell search a few nights back… I had to convince the head-ups to move him to higher security… Anyways, that’s why I was late, but let’s talk about something else. What’s up with you? It’s been a while since we touched base.”

            Soonyoung chuckled. “You say you don’t wanna talk about work, but then you go and say shit like ‘touch base.’ This is a coffee date, not a mission report, Cheol.”

            The waitress set Seungcheol’s glass down with a gentle shake of her wrists. Either Seungcheol looking like some kind of night-club bouncer intimidated her, or she was into it. He was betting on the latter.

            “Anything else I can get for you two?”

            “Nothing for me. Soonyoung?”

            He smiled up at her. “I’m good, thanks.”

            She scampered off with a pep in her step, leaving Seungcheol to gulp back his coffee. “So why did you invite me today?”

            “What? I can’t invite my friend to coffee?”

            He chuckled. “You know what I meant. You never invite me on work days. I thought there might be something important.”

            Soonyoung skimmed the rim of his cup, resting his elbows on the table as he came forward. “You know that… the media has been going kind of nuts about you lately, right?”

            He scoffed. “What else is new?”

            He brought his voice down, leaning closer. “No-I mean-Yeah, the media is usually going on about you, but this time it’s different. There’s dating rumors going around about you and Eunha Hwang… Crazy allegations, like plans for marriage. Some are even saying she could be pregnant.”

            “Why should that matter? They’re all rumors.”

            Soonyoung gnawed his bottom lip for a moment, eyes shifting. “I know, but… I have a bad feeling about this. Not for you, but for that Eunha girl. You have a lot of enemies, Cheol. If these rumors keep growing, people are gonna start believing them. She’s already been targeted once before by the Vulcan... And since he’s still out there…I mean..”

            Seungcheol left the straw between his lips, staring into the wood of the table. “I know. I’ve convinced HR to keep her under protection, but I don’t know what else I can do for her. The more I involve myself personally, the more dangerous it is for the both of us. There’s not much I can do except leave it up to the head-ups to take care of her…”

            “That’s why… I have an idea.”

            Soonyoung tapped Seungcheol’s knee under the table, slipping a device into his hand. Seungcheol shoved it into his pocket, raising an eyebrow in question.

            “I got a tip from one of the guys in the technology division. They told me that the controversy from clap was how a bunch of our guys were escaping their current scandals. That’s got all the information they gave me on it.”

            “Soonyoung, I-“

            “I know..” He smirked, flicking Seungcheol in the knee before returning his hands to his drink. “You already refused to sign up. I know how much you’re against this project. I’m just saying… give it a look. As of now, it’s your best bet.”

            Seungcheol scoffed. His best bet… Was to work with a criminal? How fucking convenient.

            “You know, Vernon already signed up for the project. I haven’t met his partner yet, but he says it isn’t as bad as he expected… They say the system will pair you up with someone you’d get along with, it wouldn’t be as horrible as you expect it to be.”

            “The problem isn’t their personalities, Soonyoung… The problem is what they did. What _I_ know they did.”

            Soonyoung sighed. “If they’ve signed up for the project, it means they’re willing to rehabilitate. Doesn’t that count for _something_ in your books?”

            “ _Or._ They just want to shorten their sentence.” Seungcheol slurped the last of his coffee, crossing his arms as he leaned back in the chair. He peered at Soonyoung through his sunglasses, clear black eyes with a ring of auburn, squinting dubiously. Every time Soonyoung was beginning to feel they may be getting closer… Seungcheol always knew just how to push him back behind the line. As much as he pitied him, it was starting to get irritating.

            “Think what you want… Either way, you could use a new headline.” Soonyoung checked his watch, tossing a few bills on the table as he stood up. “Time for me to get back to work. Just give it a chance, okay? For me?”

            “I’ll give it a look, but I’m not promising anything.”

            Soonyoung smiled with a sigh, waving at the door as he left the shop. Seungcheol shoved his hands into his pocket to grab his wallet, feeling the device Soonyoung had slipped him with a swipe of his thumb.

            It wasn’t his first choice… or his second, or third, or- Let’s just say if it was the only option he had in the barrel, he’d still hesitate to shoot. It felt like a nightmare to think that his best bet was partnering up with some deadbeat criminal… Although at this point, he really had to consider Eunha’s safety above all.

            After all… It was partially his fault that this dating scandal had blown up. After he’d lost his temper like that over a shallow threat, anyone would think it was because he cared for her. Not that he didn’t, but… It wasn’t just the threat, it was the person who said it… Out of all the criminals he fought, why was it always _him_ who managed to rile him up and get him out of character?

            Usually he worked around it, and held onto his smile just long enough to get away from the cameras… But so quickly, that act had begun to unwind.

            Seungcheol pulled his cash out onto the table, leaving a generous tip to the staff as he stood up to leave. He paid little mind to the eyes that followed him out the door.

            With the Vulcan roaming the city, god knows when his next strike would be… And on who?

~

            He hadn’t slept a wink last night… Not that that was unusual for Jihoon. Just, seeing as there was nothing for him to fill the time with recently, he was starting to become aware that this was a problem. Usually instead of tossing and turning, he’d be under the Vulcan working on repairs… But, right now there were no supplies… no Vulcan, and nothing for him to do, so he had no choice but to start realizing how horribly fucked his sleeping schedule was.

            Although it was hard for him to sleep peacefully anyways, with what was on him mind right now. Ever since his little heart to heart with doctor strange, his hands had been shaking by his pockets, anxiously dreading receiving signal to begin operation…

            He hadn’t told anyone, certainly not Chan, about what had happened. After Jihoon and the doctor had discussed terms, he gave him a thick wad of cash as compensation for his injuries, drove him home in an inconspicuously cab-like car, and sent him on his merry little way. No date set for the start of this whole thing, no instructions… Just “go about your life until I call you.”

            It’s been more than a month since then, and Jihoon was starting to wonder if that whole thing had just been some kind of fever dream.

            He was uncharacteristically nervous. This was all just too out of character for him, not being able to tell the kids what was going on… For gods sake, he’s told more lies this month to them, than he had his whole life before. ‘Hyung, what the fuck happened to your face?’ Gangers downtown, thought I looked weak. You should have see their faces! ‘Hyung, where’d you get all this money?’ Pickpocketed some pigmy of a ceo on mainstreet. Those guys hold onto crazy pocket-money ‘Hyung, why’s there a bald spot on your head?’ cause you keep asking me questions I can’t fucking answer!

            Jihoon wished nothing more than to let it all go and forget about his promise to the doctor… But he couldn’t. he absolutely wouldn’t do that to the kids. They all had futures ahead of them, and Jihoon wasn’t going to be the one to fuck that up.

            Jihoon rolled onto his side, staring into the analogue clock with a heavy-lidded stare. It was 4:37am… Chan must have left to get his usual head start to school. The other kids must still be asleep.

            Jihoon’s eyes ran down to the phone laying beside the clock, sighing out.

((0 NOTIFICATIONS))

            Just how long was this going to last?

            Jihoon rubbed at tired eyes with his palms, sitting up.

            Was it really too much to know even an estimate? All he wanted to know was how long they had left together… He shut his eyes tightly,

~

            Seungcheol sat down at his desk, pulling off his face mask and suit jacket, tossing them haphazardly across the room… They landed against a far wall with a heavy whip... Sometimes at the end of a long day, Seungcheol tended to forget his own strength.

            He rubbed his eyes, staring at the ticking hands of the clock across the room, chiming at the strike of a new hour. It was 5am, which was certainly not his usual time for clocking off, that’s for sure.

            Seeing as he’d probably be called in for an early morning job in an hour or so… he supposed there was no point in sleeping. Seungcheol rested his eyes as he lounged back, unbuttoning his dress shirt with lazy fingers. He opened the front, sighing. Why did he have to wear so many fucking layers to work?

            Nevermind the aesthetic of his superhero persona… he goes out every goddamn day in a full suit, _with a full body spandex superhero suit underneath!_ It was a miracle he wasn’t dead of heat exhaustion yet, really.

            His hands trailed down to his belt, undoing it with ease. Pausing, he felt his pocket, peaking his eyes open with a remorseful breath of air.

            Right… this thing Soonyoung had snuck him during lunch.

            Seungcheol pulled the device out and scanned it over curiously. It was designed to look like a cellphone, but according to what Soonyoung had told him, it wasn’t anything more than a digital brochure, holding the details of project Clap. Supposedly… this little thing was going to change his mind regarding joining that dumb operation… Which, he highly doubted. Seungcheol pressed the button at the bottom, reading with dull eyes.

_Please input retina identity for login access…_

            He leaned in close, holding one eye open wide as a dull green light flashed over his vision. The phone loaded for a brief moment, before lighting up with a cheery, electronic jingle.

_Authorizing..._

_Welcome, Sergeant Coups._

            Interesting that an informational brochure was connected to the superhero database… It was probably for the sake of confidentiality, he supposed.

_Before we begin, it is required that you agree to the terms and conditions listed. Please be aware that agreeing to these terms is a direct contract, correlating with your employment at the mansae facilities. Failure to follow the listed terms will result in a DD level termination, and immediate severance of relevant memory._

_ Continu e? _

            That’s just so like them to put a big warning like this over a tablet filled with information on a public operation. And to add it to his work contracts? What were they hiding in here, war plans?

            Seungcheol sighed, pressing continue. Whatever.

            The terms and conditions were long…. Like, 73 pages long. Whatever asshole wrote that, expecting Seungcheol (who was running on exactly 0 hours of sleep) to read it… was an asshole. He got through 3 pages of overcomplicated nonsense before flipping off the fake phone and swiping past all 73 pages in a brief show of wasted use of his super powers. At the end screen, there was an outline of a fingerprint in a little illuminated box. Manase’s usual method of signing contracts.

_Scan to accept terms and conditions_

            Too exhausted, and too fed, to realize that the drop in his stomach was a tinge of uncertainty, Seungcheol pressed his thumb against the screen, watching with haze as a dull green light scanned across his skin, signaling completion with an electronic jingle.

            Seungcheol rested his eyes as the loading screen did it’s thing.

_Updating contract..._

~

            He jolted awake at the buzzing of his pacer, whipping his wrist up to stare at his watch. 7:37? Fuck… When had he fallen asleep?

            He scanned his pacer quickly, identifying the job he’d been beckoned to. Regular level 3 villain terrorizing civilians at the metro, broken track line, approximately 700 civilians in danger. Seungcheol ripped off the remaining remnants of his outer-suit, slicking back his hair with quick fingers. From tip to roots, the black strands cascaded into an unnatural silver sheen. Feeling the power bubble up from within, he crouched down in preparation.

            Seungcheol shot out from his office window in a flash of color, the air around him slicing past his fingertips as he soared effortlessly through crisp pre-dawn air.

            A young girl, eyes red, pressed to her mother in terror, caught the pulsing blue light soaring in from above, pointing up with a shaky arm. “S-Sergeant Coups! Mama, he’s here!”

            With just one hand, as the speeding train’s nose reached the break in the tracks, Seungcheol slowed it to a stall with an ear-piercing screech of the wheels. With a gentle push, the train reversed back onto the safety of the tracks. Seungcheol stayed hovering mid-air, as the onlooking press snapped photo’s of another victory. He smiled brilliantly into the front of the locomotive, right into the eyes of the infamous ‘dead man’s handle’. A class 3 villain, notoriously obsessed with trains. He had done numerous other shenanigans revolving around them in the past, but he was most infamous for breaking the emergency driving mechanisms on trains, sabotaging tracks, and sending people to their final destination.

            “The train has reached it’s terminus, Handle. Time to de-board.” Seungcheol grinned against the mans defeated, sour expression, as the onlookers cheered. Now this…. This was what the job was all about.

            Forget about that ‘teaming up with the villains,’ bullshit. His job was to save innocent lives, and throw scum like this in jail…There was no way he was joining that stupid program.

            Seungcheol continued on to the press conference following, explaining civilian status, and what was to be done with DMH.

            The device lay on Seungcheol’s home desk as it finished up the loading process. The screen lit up with an electronic jingle, signaling completion.

_Thank you for joining project c.l.a.p. sergeant coups._

_please await further orders._

~

            Jihoon woke up at 8am this morning… which was honestly a record, compared to his usual schedule. He really had been trying to get himself on a healthier sleep schedule… just, it was hard. Chan had caught him trying to tinker with the useless junk in the workshop about 7 nights in a row. Each time he’d knock him over his drooping head with a sheet of metal, and force him back into bed.

            Thanks to his constant scolding’s, he had managed to get into a bit of a habit. Yesterday he’d slept about 6 hours, and last night he’d fallen asleep around 4, so… 8 honestly wasn’t bad. He probably could have slept a bit longer.

            It was his phone, which had startled him awake, vibrating violently at the input of a new call, playing an annoyingly cheerful ring tune, until it had buzzed itself off the bed-side table, and onto the floor.

            Jihoon jumped into a sitting position at the crash, scrambling to pick the device up, and stare into the screen. His phone was ringing… Oh fuck.

            He kept the phone on ‘do not disturb’ for the most part, so shit like this wouldn’t happen. Only two numbers in his phone were dis-cluded from that feature, so he would hear them ring no matter what… Those were; Chan’s emergency cell number… and doctor Yoon’s.

            His fingers trembled as he swiped the answer button across the screen, holding the phone to his ear, listening anxiously to the pumping of blood against his eardrum. The line came through with a buzz of static.

            “It’s time, come to area 99 myeongdong hotel, room 48. Tell the front desk that you’re there to see Jung. Your name is Lee Kim. Make sure you’re alone.”

            The line cut immediately, a lingering beeping noise ringing against his ear as Jihoon slowly lowered the phone to his lap, eyes shaking. It was the number the doctor had given him, but that definitely wasn’t his voice.

            He took a deep breath, calming himself, before getting up to collect what he thought he might need. Which honestly… wasn’t much. His cell, his wallet, and the shirt on his back…. He quickly threw on a hooded sweater and a face mask, and stood before the exit.

            Jihoon’s limp had become increasingly less debilitating, as he’d been essentially bedridden the past 7 weeks. He’d ripped off the fancy-shmancy cast he’d been gifted after a while, and despite his leg being essentially healed, he still felt adamant about leaning on it…

            But in this case, he really had no choice.

            Jihoon came through the opening into the sewer entrance, gaze hardening as he turned around, giving his home one final glance.

            His chest ached, a tiny internal warning, shouting at him to forget about the promise, go back inside, and pretend he never even received that damn phone-call. Jihoon ignored the sting with all of his willpower, locking himself out before his assurance could fall.

            The door shut behind him in a flash of metal, and Jihoon turned away, feeling his heart clench painfully. He wiped a rough sleeve over his eyes, before he began to walk.

 

~

            The phone rang loudly. He jumped up from the sofa he’d been sitting on and held it to his ear anxiously.

            “Hello, Mr. Jung? Somebody is here to see you.”

            “Who is it?” He gulped, twining the phone cord around his fingers.

            The voice paused for a moment, presumably to ask. “His name is Lee Kim. Shall I send him away?”

            “No! No, Uh, I know him. Please, send him to my room.”

            “Certainly. He will be up shortly.”

            The phone line beeped dead. He dropped it to the bed without a second thought and ran to the bathroom. He splashed water over his tired face to perk himself up a bit, running wet hands through messy hair to tame his bed-head.

            Catching his eye-circles under the bright overhead lights, and a yellow stain on his white T-shirt… he slouched, gripping the sides of the sink and staring into the water. Who was he kidding? No amounts of hotel sink water was going to make him look presentable. Geeze, couldn’t Yoon give him a little more of a heads up than that? It was 7am and all he gets is a “The operation is beginning! Run to the fucking Myeongdong hotel the Vulcan will meet you there shortly..”

            He nearly had a whole heart attack at 7am, ran out the door in his pajama’s carrying a butt-load of supplies… And promptly waited there for two hours! If he knew it was going to take this long, he would have at least put on something nice to wear!

            He rummaged through the suitcase he had brought with him, feeling anxious. This leather jacket was the only ‘normal’ clothing he had… It would have to do. He pulled it over his stained shirt and zipped it up. Fuck, now he just looked like a disheveled mobster…

            A knock at the door threw him out of his state of near-tears, rushing over to open the door…

            His hand hesitated… On the other side of this door, was the Vulcan. His _true_ identity. The supervillain he had been looking up to for years, his one and only idol in this world… Oh fuck he wasn’t ready. He was a mess! This was the worst possible way for them to meet. He couldn’t do it, holy shit.

            He jumped, as the knock came again, a bit louder this time. He breathed deeply as he undid the lock, holding in his doubts, and opening the door slowly.

            He stared forward at empty space, swallowing in confusion. A cough of annoyance had his eyes trailing down, until he reached sharp brown eyes, peaking up beneath a black hood.

            “Lee Kim?” His voice didn’t crack, thankfully. The boy nodded quietly, looking past him, and into the room, with a suspicious gaze.

            “And who the fuck are you?” the boy asked.

            He looked away nervously, backing away to give him access into the room. “Uh, please, come in first.”

            A bit adamantly, he walked forward into the room. The boy was dripping wet… It was pouring outside, did he walk here?

            He shut the door behind him, locking it for safety. “Would you like anything? A warm cup of tea? A towel? Y-you could take a shower, or-”

            “Just tell me who you are, and what the hell I’m supposed to be doing here.”

            “Oh, right…” He extended out a hand, bowing. The boy, a bit flustered, gave his hand a gentle shake. “I am a colleague of the doctor, I’ll be helping you to build your new persona for the operation. Please, call me Seokmin.”

            He peered up at him, shaking his hand graciously. His expression was… a bit pitiful, somehow. Seokmin directed him to the couch. “Please, take a seat… Are you sure you wouldn’t want to change clothes? You’re dripping.”

            He sighed, looking away. “Just tell me what I should do.”

            Seokmin swallowed, tugging at the tight neck of his jacket. The air between them was… kind of thick. He gave him a once-over again. “Okay, I guess let’s just get down to business.”

            Seokmin sat beside him, a good distance away on the couch.

            “I’ve been ordered to give you a new identity. It will be the name and appearance you will use for the duration of this operation. My job is mainly just on the aesthetic side of this, and once everything is in order, the doctor will handle entering your identity into the countries database, and getting your papers sorted.” He offered a small smile. “If you don’t have any questions, should we start right away?”

            He stared at his lap, sighing. “Go ahead.”

            “Then, follow me into the bathroom, please.”

            The boy did so after a moment. He stood before seokmin, staring down at the tiled floor… Despite his stubborn attitude, he was shivering like a soaked cat. Seokmin pulled his hood off his hair to get a better look at him, staring into brown eyes with a tight feeling in his chest. The mask concealing his face was set aside as well, and Seokmin stopped, staring.

            he was… so young.

            Seokmin had never really had a clear “vision” in his mind when he’d imagined what the Vulcan looked like. But a combination of a giant robot suit, deep robotic voice, and quirky, wise personality, had made him think somehow, the Vulcan was a 30-something, muscular mechanic-type man.

            Jeonghan had told him this guy was a force to be reckoned with… But, as Seokmin unzipped his muddy, baggy hoodie, and took a peak at the malnourished belly of the boy beneath, he was starting to feel a bit doubtful.

            This child… took down a full grown man with just his hands? Smashed his head into the bricks and smiled when he saw blood? Those other body guards seemed terrified of him!

            “Are you just going to fondle my ribs all day?”

            Seokmin pulled his hand back, realizing suddenly that his hands had trailed up to touch while he’d been deep in thought. “I was just checking your physique! Uh, for fitting… Do you work out?”

            “No, not really..”

            Seokmin gulped. “Could you undress? I’m going to take your measurements.”

            He rolled his eyes, pulling his shirt over his head without hesitation.

            Seokmin grabbed his measuring tape off the counter, wrapping it around his waist, arms, legs, head. Anything that might have to be covered. He was petite, 164cm tall, and 120 pounds. He jotted down notes quickly.

            “take a seat. Let’s start with some basic information.”

            He looked around, taking a seat on the vanity stool set behind him, crossing his arms over his chest in a self-conscious manner.

            “Before you can enter into the clap program as a detainee, you’re going to have to build a new supervillain persona. Unfortunately, if you were to be arrested as the Vulcan, you would be sent straight to maximum security, and therefore be illegible for the program. So… I’ll ask you a few things first.”

            He nodded, saying nothing.

            “Do you have a name you have been using as a disguise? Or a secret identity?”

            “Lee Jihoon. I’ve never showed my face or said my name, so I think a fake name would be unnecessary. I just use Jihoon.”

            Seokmin jotted it down quickly… Jihoon. It was a nice name. “And, what is your super power exactly?”

            “I don’t have one.”

            Seokmin stopped, looking up with surprise. “You don’t? I thought… I thought the Vulcan was a result of mechanical morphing… or, you had supernatural intelligence.”

            “Nope. I’ve never had any powers. I’ve just been tinkering since I was a toddler. I guess you could say I have mechanical intuition, but it’s nothing supernatural.”

            “That’s amazing…” Seokmin bit his tongue, writing down his notes quickly. He wished _so_ badly, to just let go of the professional front and pull a full fanboy moment on this boy… But this was a job. Jeonghan would kill him if he blew this. _Literally_ Kill him.”

~

            The rest of the questions were basic information, stuff about his physical condition, his interests, his other skills. Then they moved on to the visual. Jihoon tried his best to keep his mind focused on this. If he allowed himself to wander, he’d end up losing face. Every time he broke out of his concentration, all he saw was his family, smiling faces, waiting for him at home…

            He wondered, had Chan done well on his test today? Did he make dinner for everyone? Did Samuel take the bus home? Was Minnie back from his field trip? Did they wonder where he was?

            …Were they going to be okay?

            “Jihoon?” He shook himself out of thought, looking up into the mirror. “What do you think?”  
            The costume was ridiculous, frankly. Too much leather, and unnecessarily exposed skin. His face was covered with a strange, mechanical mask, like the medieval visor of a knights helmet. He wore tight faux leather on his torso, which cut at the waist like a leotard, exposing the skin around his hips. There was a belt around his waist, filled with loops and compartments, like a tool belt. His shorts were… both skimpy and boyish, cutting off right at the thigh, leading down to leather garter belts, and knee-length combat boots.

            Jihoon took a breath, lowering his head in shame. “I look like a prostitute…”

            Seokmin chuckled. “No! No… You look cool! I just thought… considering your looks in mind, something like this would be suitable. Dangerous, but also young and…” he looked away, coughing into his sleeve. “S-sexy…”

            “Why do I have to look sexy? I’m going to cause mayhem, get arrested, and that’s it. Can’t I wear something full-body? Wouldn’t that be easier for concealing my identity?”

            Seokmin adjusted the strap around his waist. “Actually… Doctor Yoon gave me specific instructions to dress you in this style. He believes that if you dress in something full-body, people may put one and one together and assume you are the next generation of the Vulcan.”

            Jihoon sighed, crossing his arms over his chest, feeling a draft against the exposed skin. “Might I remind you that I don’t have any powers? Do you expect me to seduce my victims?”

            “Well… yeah, you honestly could, but..” Seokmin turned around, opening a compartment of his suitcase. “Here, it’s a gift from the doctor. It’s fully functional, and equipped with everything you might need in both hand-to-hand, and long-distance combat… Of course, feel free to tinker with it as you wish.”

            Jihoon reveled in the items given to him, examining it quickly. They were mechanical gauntlets, of sorts. He slipped them over his hands and stretched out his fingers. “How do I activate them?”

            “Voice command... But, please be careful. I’ll have to pay for it if you blow up the hotel. Each function has a different voice code for activation. If you want the gun, the command is “hands where I can see ‘em”, electric charge feature is “en gaurde” and so on.”

            Jihoon held his hands up, cringing. “That’s horrible. Can I change those?”

            “Of course, make changes as you wish. But whatever you do must be done before morning tomorrow. I will provide to you any equipment or materials you need.”

            “What’s tomorrow?”

            Seokmin smirked. “Tomorrow, you’re going to take over the biggest bank in the city.”

            Jihoon rotated his wrists, mind racing, a little spark of excitement he hadn’t felt in a long time… He could practically map out improvements to the design, additives, feeling a rush come at the implication of no limits to supply. “So, what am I calling myself now? Leather boy-toy? Metal fisty-cuffs?”

            He scoffed. “Your new name is Pak Jihoon. You may pick your villain name, just as long as it has no relation to the Vulcan.”

            “I can keep Jihoon?... Isn’t that a little risky?”

            Seokmin began to gather his papers together, shoving them into his briefcase. “Your name won’t be released to the public, it’s just for the legal documents, so it won’t be a problem. Now.. I need to report back to the doctor. You may stay in this hotel room until we call you tomorrow. Before I go, is there anything I can get you?”

            Jihoon hummed, looking up at Seokmin with a devilish smirk. “Yeah, a few things.”

~

            The bank teller cleared away the information from the last customer with a few simple clicks, peering up with a professional smile as a shadow loomed over her desk. “Hello, how can I help…. You?”

            Her smile dropped, catching a dark expression, shadowed by black hair. A scarf concealed everything below his eyes, and a long, black coat, covered everything below that. She felt her heart thud nervously, fingers hovering around the panic button on the underside of her desk. “A-are you a member of this bank?”

            He answered back, in a voice much softer than she had been expecting, eyes curving into crescents behind heavy bangs. “Yes, I am.”

            Her fingers halted, smile returning with a breath of air. “Oh, I see! What can I do for you, sir?”

            “I’d like to make a withdrawal.”

            “Okay, one moment.” She opened up the customer database with a quick series of tapping against the keyboard. “And what is your name?”

            “My name?”

            He leaned forward, eyes smiling. He lifted his hand very slowly, reaching up for the scarf around his face. She only noticed now, a strange ornament protruding from his sleeve, covered mostly by a glove. The scarf dropped to the floor in a bundle of fabric.

            Wide-eyed, with a scream caught in her throat, the bank teller quickly began to press the panic button, yelping as a shock of electricity rushed through the tips of her fingers.

            The mask around his face was steaming through it’s metal slits. He lifted his hands, pulling off his gloves, to reveal metal hands beneath.

            “S-security! Hel-!”

            She struggled at the slap over her words, the hand over her mouth tightened against her jaw painfully. between the press of cold metal joints, she felt a spark of electricity burn over her skin.

            “I’m going to let go of you in a moment.” He spoke through the slits of his mask, voice echoing. His other hand began to morph before her, metal clinking into place, until it’s shape had deformed into something like a gun, pressed between her eyes. “And when I do, you’re going to turn around and open the vault for me. Understand?”

            Her eyes pricked with tears as she nodded, and the man dropped her to the floor not a moment later. Her legs were trembling as she came to her feet, walking carefully towards the vault.

            She took a peak behind at the man with the mask, picking up her courage, before bolting towards the exit.

            “What the hell is this!” A costumer yelped, stepping back as metal bars slammed to the floors around all the exits, trapping everybody within. The bank-teller froze on the spot, each ignorant customer and staff member from before turning around to the man, dropping his long coat to the floor. He pointed his metal hand towards the crowd, the second one rippling metal, morphing into a gun to match the first.

            “Hello all bank-goers. You’ve all been selected to be my victims. I’ll be withdrawing all belongings, money, and video evidence. Just make sure when the cops come, they know who to file their cheques out to” He cocked both guns, watching with a smile as the fearful citizens flinched.“The name’s Paladin.”

           


End file.
